Jumwa Jefwa, a mother of nine is one of the many women in her community who
opt for traditional abdominal massage during pregnancy over visiting health
centers for checkups, not knowing the risks it poses.
Her friends had come to visit her, at least to comfort and to console her.
About three weeks ago while she began having severe pains with her tenth
pregnancy, Jumwa would get to the hospital, only to be given news that her baby
had died.
John Mutsimi, a gynecologist says, the doctor opened her and found she had a ruptured uterus.
She says it is a traditional practice that is deeply rooted in her
community not because of any financial reasons but because it is something many
have become accustomed to.
Traditional abdominal massage is a practice that has been there over the
years in many villages around the country.
It is the practice that many do not yet know can have negative impacts. The traditional birth attendants massage pregnant women even in their 6-8th months.
Dr. Mutsimi says the worst situation they've had is where the mother had a
fractured uterus and the baby's limbs were broken. He says, on average about 3
women flock hospitals in the county every month with complications of a
ruptured uterus mostly as a result of traditional abdominal massage.
According to the Kenya Demographic in Health Survey 2014, nearly 50% of
women in rural areas seek the services of traditional birth attendants and give
birth at home.
Among the counties with the lowest
professional antenatal care according to the survey include, Tana River,
Marsabit, West Pokot, Samburu, Turkana and Wajir. And this is mainly as a
result of a shortage of professional health practioners as well as long
distances from health facilities.
Women like Jumwa continues to deal with the consequences of poor antenatal
care, it is time health policy implementers sought to expand the services to
the far flung rural areas.
STORY BY T.A.F.
The Kenyan Medical Freelance Journalist
E-mail: medjournalnairobi@gmail.com
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