A one-day Maternal and Child Health Fair took place at the Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck Mother and Child Hospital on 7th September. The first-of-its-kind event focused on sharing ways to ensure the health of mothers and children, especially in reducing maternal and neonatal death rates. The fair was organised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, and the Ministry of Health.
According to the health ministry, the fair promoted positive health-seeking behaviours among pregnant and breastfeeding women by highlighting the importance of care during and after pregnancy.
Healthcare during pregnancy ensures both mother and baby are healthy and the birth is safe.
After-delivery care focuses on the health of the mother and child after birth, especially during the first 42 days, when most maternal and infant deaths occur.
The fair also showed various nutritious foods for mothers and babies, emphasising the importance of a balanced diet for a healthy body.
A nutritionist from the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit said that breastfeeding babies need additional nutrients after six months.
“Some patients come to PICU because of low immune system, so I think some patients, do not get good baby food. But baby food is essential for babies because they need to get good ingredients for a strong immune system, so that is why we teach mothers about how to give baby food,” said Yuki Muranaka, PICU Nurse, JICA Volunteer.
In addition, the Integral Cardiotocography or iCTG booth shared the health ministry’s success story in distributing the iCTG device in 72 health facilities across the country.
The device monitors fetal heart rate and uterine contraction, ensuring effective pregnancy care even at the primary health centres.
“In the past, we relied on manual checks using our ears during check-ups. So, we were not able to exactly ascertain the condition of the baby and the mother. Now, with the ICTG, all the trained personnel can send records directly to a gynaecologist via WeChat, allowing more timely evaluations,” said Nim Dem, a health assistant at Geynekha PHC.
“They can accurately monitor the health of pregnant mothers and babies. However, it is important to ensure that the community is aware of this. Otherwise, if people do not know about these services, they might not be motivated to visit their local primary health centres. So, spreading the information is very important and events like this play a key role in that effort,” said Yamada Tomoyuki, Chief Representative of the JICA Bhutan Office.
Further, the pregnancy simulation booth provided a hands-on experience to help people better understand what pregnant women go through.
“There are certain exercises in the pregnancy simulation that are very difficult to do and we feel a pinch of what a woman feels during pregnancy. Then, we know about what we should do as a man,” said Bhagat Pokhrel Chhetri, a participant.
According to the National Health Survey 2023, during pregnancy care coverage has improved from 97.9 per cent in 2012 to 98.5 per cent last year among women aged 15 to 49 years.
Last year, the national referral hospital recorded over 3,500 deliveries out of over 9,200 deliveries in the country.
Sangay Chozom & Singye Dema
Edited by Sonam Pem
