First Lady Boakai rallies against maternal & neonatal mortality

 The First Lady of Liberia, Madam Kartumu Y. Boakai, leads a campaign here against maternal & neonatal mortality with a shocking revelation that mothers in Liberia are dying at a staggering rate of 742 per 100,000 live births 

By Lincoln G. Peters

Monrovia, Liberia, April 9, 2024 – Liberia’s First Lady, Madam Kartumu Y. Boakai, launches an appeal here, rallying the International Community to unite and end maternal and neonatal mortality in Liberia and worldwide.

Delivering a special remark on Monday, April 8, 2024, at celebration of World Health Day, Madam Boakai urged the world to remember that the struggle for healthcare equality is not a solitary battle waged in distant lands; rather, she said it is a global crusade that requires every ounce of our collective strength, wisdom, and empathy.

“As the First Lady of the Republic of Liberia, I accept my role as the Chief Maternal Newborn Health Champion with solemn duty and fervent passion. I implore each one of you, within the sound of my voice and beyond, to join us as we embark on a crusade against the preventable tragedies that befall our mothers and infants”, she urges.

The First Lady points out that everyone is aware that the shadow of maternal and neonatal mortality looms large in Liberia, with mothers perishing at a staggering rate of 742 per 100,000 live births and newborns at 37 per 1,000.

She explains that these are not mere numbers, as they are echoes of the anguish that alarmed various communities with the loss of every mother, sister, and child and every number having a name, every data a heartbeat.

“In the time it takes me to speak these words, a child’s future in Liberia is extinguished before it can even begin. Our nation has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of conflict and the Ebola epidemic, and COVID-19 now faces a silent war in delivery rooms and cradles of our mothers and infants”, she laments.

Madam Boakia imagines the heartbreak of a father at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center (JFK) in Monrovia who held his newborn for mere moments before the cruel tide of mortality swept away the child, or she says, perhaps hearing the voice in the glow of dawn, a mother whispers prayers for the life of her unborn child, a battle against the darkness of uncertainty.

She urges that such a painful reality should never “Be an experience in our modern society. We need to unite as a global village to bring an end to maternal and neonatal mortality. An African proverb teaches us, ‘Wisdom is like a cotton tree; no one individual can embrace it.’ The wisdom we seek today is unity and action to stem the tide of these senseless losses. We must rally together, for no mother should lose her life while bringing another into this world.”

She reveals that over 1.5 million young people between the ages of 10 and 25—the very promises of our future—were lost in 2021 alone, which should never have happened.

She laments that their potential was boundless, and their dreams were extinguished too soon, thus urging the gathering to be the generation that defies the odds and turns the tide that declares with one voice: ‘Not one more mother, not one more child, will we lose on our watch.’

Madam Boakai reflects on the words of the late American civil rights campaigner, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, ‘Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.’

She underscores that as the world celebrates World Health Day, people reaffirm their relentless commitment to this creed and to Liberia, a nation resilient and glorious yet tested by trials that weigh heavily on Liberians’ hearts.

She reassures her commitment to empowering women and girls in this significant area and announces the upcoming launch of the Women’s Coalition for Reproductive Health and Rights, known as the Liberia Women Coalition for ICPD@30.

According to the First Lady, this coalition will focus on various aspects, including maternal health and ensuring access to modern family planning methods.

“As a Champion, I am dedicated to promoting these crucial issues and driving positive change. I deeply appreciate the UNFPA, which has graciously extended its consistent support to this coalition. It fills me with great anticipation to collaborate with them and our UN counterparts”, Madam Boakia notes.

She notes that in unity, with strategic partnerships and the full dedication of the Liberian Government, the nation stands poised to fulfill its promise of health and well-being for all.

“I admonish you not just as the First Lady of Liberia but as a guardian of our collective humanity, echoing the aspirations of a people bound by hope and driven by the determination to see every mother and child thrive. For each life lost, a story of persistence and triumph lights our way. Let these stories be our beacon, guiding us to a future where health prevails,” the First Lady inspires. Editing by Jonathan Browne