Becoming a mother is usually thought to be a very satisfying and soulful experience. But it is not that pleasant if you are a middle or lower class pregnant lady in Pakistan. Even in bigger cities, less than 50 percent of women get average standard care during pregnancy, which is by no means comparable to international standards.
Most of this loss of precious maternal lives is preventable. The most palpable factors of all are lack of transport, lack of awareness, illiteracy, poverty, and provision of health care facilities. These gaps in service provision are all interconnected and interdependent. This scenario leads to the sprouting of lots of unskilled and unlawful health care practices in society.
The problem of dying mothers needs to be addressed in modern and untraditional ways to make quick and substantial improvements. In the modern era influence and spectrum of media has grown exponentially and so are its applications.
Social media is its newest and the most vibrant form, which is also unique in having direct public interaction and participation. Media has a great potential in bridging the gaps in public awareness, education, and mobilization if used effectively and optimally.
This is the time to take the public on-board for this burning and sensitive issue. Government has a big role to play in this. Conventional media can be used for the initiation of campaigns in print media and allocation of mandatory hours for public awareness programs and public service messages on electronic media. Maximum benefit can be achieved through social media which is untapped for this kind of usage.
- Motherhood in Changing Pakistan - 31/12/2020
