A global health perspective on maternal mortality: Is it getting the attention it deserves?

Women and children have the right to good health, and with good health comes the advantages which benefit the family as a unit and the society at large. However, from a global health perspective, women and children are among the most marginalised groups in the world, more so in in Sub Saharan Africa where the dominant ideology of patriarchy still persists, and women’s rights are often overlooked in favour of men’s. Bringing forth a child into the world is meant to be a joyful time for the mother and entire family; however, this is not the case for some women as the period could be extremely challenging with tragic results. “A pregnant woman has one foot in her grave” is a known proverb in African countries; this provides an insight into how pregnancy is perceived African communities.