- 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.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español