afrol News, 10 December - A new book has exposed the sorrow and pain pregnancy continues to cause for sub-Saharan women. Titled "Pregnancy: a continuing source of sorrow and pain for women in sub-Saharan Africa," the book authored by Dr. Benjamin Obbonna, reveals that 1 in 16 sub-Saharan women die from complications of pregnancy.

This a sharp contrast of the situation in the western world where pregnancies are moments of happiness.

Published by AuthorHouse, the book which uses little medical terminology, was a combination of experiences from Africa, Europe and Asia. In it, Dr. Ogbonna brings to light maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa to the front burner, sparing no detail.

"It should make an interesting reading for people in the western world to enable them to full appreciate what is happening in other places," Dr. Ogbonna said. "For people in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is a book that is intended to rouse them from their protracted slumber to enable them to appreciate that there is a problem that needs urgent attention."

He discusses the various causes of maternal deaths and possible solutions to the serious problem and seeks not only to educate the women in the region about the reasons why many of them die in pregnancy and how to avoid such deaths, but also the region's elected leaders.

The book acknowledges the efforts of charitable organizations around the world who have been actively involved in reducing the pregnancy-related fatalities in the region. It therefore called for more help from pharmaceutical companies in order to provide affordable drugs to fight the ravages of HIV infection.

Dr. Benjamin Ogbonna, a Nigerian by birth, earned his medical degrees from the University of Nigeria Medical School in 1975, and interned in the United Kingdom, leading to membership in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He was elected a fellow of the Royal College in 1996 and an associate member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 1999. He is also a fellow of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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