Courtesy: BBC Tamil
“I am 8 months pregnant. Just thinking about my delivery in Sri Lanka scares me to death”. These are the words of Taxila Niroshini, a 27-year-old pregnant woman living in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka.
“My iron level is low. My unborn baby is not growing well enough. I was also prescribed all the nutritional medicines for the baby.
But, in the current economic situation, it cannot be afforded. We have only one meal a day and the rest of the time we starve.”
No money, no food
Unable to feed her 9-year-old daughter and 8-year-old fetus at home, she is suffering like other mothers in Sri Lanka. Most days it’s probably rice. He buys 100 kg of soya pellets with the little money he has. For now, that’s the easiest way for him to get protein.
While Taxila’s husband was earning Rs 1500 per day, she was jobless for the past 2 months. Supplemental food was coming from government-run maternity centers.
More scarcity means less inventory
According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the country’s food insecurity peaked at 57.4% in May.
The foreign exchange situation has worsened and Sri Lanka is struggling to import essential foodstuffs, medicine and fuel. People wait in line for days for fuel.
No fuel. How to get to the hospital?
Fuel scarcity is not the only problem here where mothers like Taxila get food on their plates.
“I have to go to the district general practitioner for my delivery. It is 8 km from here. Even if it’s an emergency, I can’t rush there,” says Taxila.
Had to go for a scan last week. But, there is no bus. Even the buses that came were crowded. The only option now is to wait for hours and catch a lorry or truck.
All these worries come together and make her grieve for her unborn child.
The obstetrician had told me to call me if there is anything urgent. Meanwhile, he also said that I can come only if there is petrol.
Due to this, Taxila is planning to go to the hospital two weeks before the expected date of labor.
Emergency services are overwhelmed
Sri Lanka’s data on maternal mortality and child health were excellent. But currently, about 57 lakh people in the country, including 23 lakh children, are in need of humanitarian assistance due to the economic crisis, according to UNICEF.
The public free healthcare system, which many low-income families depend on in Sri Lanka, has also been severely affected. According to the Sri Lankan Medical Service, 99.9% of deliveries take place in hospitals. However, some hospitals have neither stock nor supply of medicine.
“We see a lot of iron deficient mothers in Sri Lanka,” says Iresha Mampitiya, a senior lecturer and physician at Ruhana University. He further informed that Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has affected the procurement and supply of nutritional supplements to maternity clinics.
Also, he said, “The number of pregnant women coming for treatment with the need for blood transfusion and iron supplementation has increased. Due to the country’s fuel shortage, there is also a problem in pregnant women coming to hospitals.”
Sri Lanka’s Ambulance Service ‘1990’ has 297 ambulances. However, on July 11, it was announced that the service would be suspended due to fuel shortage. Meanwhile, the service reported that the number of calls has been increasing day by day.
“We always try our best to help people. We have worked many days past our working hours. Lately there has been an increase in calls from pregnant women. We are trying to help them somehow,” said a driver of ‘1990 Ambulance Service’.
Scary days
While families try to make fuel or travel arrangements, some mothers are forced to give birth at home.
The number of deliveries taking place on the way to the hospital has also increased. Most people come to the hospital by auto. In today’s environment, the number of deliveries taking place in autos has also increased, says Dr Mampitiya.
Two weeks ago, at the door of our hospital, inside an auto, a mother was throbbing in labor. Her baby has already started coming out. We acted quickly and helped the girl.
Sudden profuse bleeding during a home birth and subsequent delay in hospital delivery can be life-threatening. Maybe even if the patients come to the hospital, doctors and nurses need to come to the hospital to treat them. It is also difficult.
Difficulty for doctors and nurses
Due to the difficulty of public transport and the inability to buy fuel, some doctors have started coming by bicycle. Dr. Mampitiya says that the major concern is that the maternal mortality rate and the number of sick people will increase in the country due to these crises.
The Sri Lankan government does not recommend home births under any circumstances, says a group of government family welfare officials. Speaking to the BBC, the head of the group said: “It is very difficult to ensure fuel for medical workers and especially maternity workers.” Before this crisis, maternity workers would go directly to the homes of pregnant women to ensure the well-being of the mother and child. But, now the fuel shortage has made this task difficult.
Emergency budget
In response to the crisis, Sri Lanka’s Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said it was taking immediate action on the difficulties faced by pregnant mothers and children and looked forward to providing solutions to the problems.
Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, his aide and former education minister, told the BBC that the acting president would try to provide assistance to low-income families, including pregnant mothers, through an emergency budget expected in August.
The new cabinet ministers, including the health minister, must appoint a president after Wednesday’s vote, who will serve until the next round of elections. But as the crisis continues, pregnant women and unborn children are not the only victims of fuel shortages in Sri Lanka. Education of the younger generation is also in question as schools are closed due to lack of transport facilities.
Taxila’s daughter, a fourth-grader, is one of many Sri Lankan children who struggle to go to school. “I fear for the future of my daughter and unborn child. It seems that we are in this situation because of the mistakes of politicians. But what can poor people like us do? We feel that this is our destiny.”