Health & Wellness
Maternal health seminars planned for poor areas of Pakistan
Poonam Mahraj, a physiotherapist in Pakistan, is planning small-scale maternal health seminars for pregnant and postnatal women who, she says, often have no basic knowledge of their own health conditions.
Pain. Complications. Anxiety. And often no basic knowledge of the condition behind them. That is what Poonam Mahraj says she sees among pregnant and post-delivery women. She is a physiotherapist from Pakistan and works extensively among women in clinical and community settings.
The women she describes "fail to identify the warning signs of the risk factors during pregnancy as well as childbirth due to lack of information and fail to consult the doctors at the right time."
“Leadership starts with believing that your efforts can make a difference.”
Poonam Mahraj
Maternal health, she says, continues to be a problem area in Pakistan. She cites a projected maternal mortality rate of 155 deaths per 100,000 live births, deaths she says are mostly avoidable by timely awareness. "Based on my experience, I have noticed that many postnatal women suffer from physical pain, fatigue, and lack of guidance for recovery," she says.
Her plan is small-scale awareness seminars on maternal health for pregnant and postnatal women living in poor areas of Pakistan. The seminars would cover basic knowledge of trimesters, nutrition, the dangers of pregnancy, safety in delivery and recovery.
The aim is to start at the grassroots. She says that means "first filling in the gaps of awareness amongst women."
Her work, she says, is still growing. She is continuing to learn, lead and contribute through new opportunities.