scholarly journals Education in developing countries and reducing maternal mortality: a forgotten piece of the puzzle?

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vedran Stefanovic

Abstract Despite substantial improvement in reducing maternal mortality during the recent decades, we constantly face tragic fact that maternal mortality (especially preventable deaths) is still unacceptably too high, particularly in the developing countries, where 99% of all maternal deaths worldwide occur. Poverty, lack of proper statistics, gender inequality, beliefs and corruption-associated poor governmental policies are just few of the reasons why decline in maternal mortality has not been as sharp as it was wished and expected. Education has not yet been fully recognized as the way out of poverty, improvement of women’s role in the society and consequent better perinatal care and consequent lower maternal mortality. Education should be improved on all levels including girls, women and their partners, medical providers, religious and governmental authorities. Teaching the teachers should be also an essential part of global strategy to lower maternal mortality. This paper is mostly a commentary, not a systematic review nor a meta-analysis with the aim to rise attention (again) to the role of different aspects of education in lowering maternal mortality. The International Academy of Perinatal Medicine should play a crucial role in pushing the efforts on this issue as the influential instance that promotes reflection and dialog in perinatal medicine, especially in aspects such as bioethics, the appropriate use of technological advances, and the sociological and humanistic dimensions of this specific problem of huge magnitude. The five concrete steps to achieve these goals are listed and discussed.

Author(s):  
Ran Neuman ◽  
P.C. Deans

This chapter discusses the impact of mobile and wireless technologies on developing countries. The new technological advances and capabilities allow developing countries the opportunity to “leapfrog” years of wired technology and infrastructure development. Based on this study, it appears that mobile and wireless technologies will not be enough to truly advance developing countries. In order to truly “leapfrog” and make up for years of technological advancements, developing countries must consider dealing with government corruption, violation of human rights and extremely low literacy rates. All those factors will derail the effort to “leapfrog” and gain economic benefits from technological advancements. The Village Cell Phone Program is an example where mobile technology created a business opportunity while at the same time changing the role of women in society. Any implementation of mobile and wireless technology must be complemented with social and political reform in order to be successful.


Author(s):  
Rene Sansoucy

Experience over three decades of international projects aimed at assisting developing countries has shown that direct transfer of technology from developed countries has widely failed in the sector of Animal Production as in many other sectors. At best this transfer of technology has led to systems requiring high levels of imports in capital, feeds, genetically high producing animals and equipment, which require external technical assistance. These imported inputs which are usually highly subsidized have to a certain extent sometimes allowed a substantial improvement in output levels (eg. in poultry production). In some cases self-sufficiency has been attained, but never self-reliance. This has maintained or increased the dependency of developing countries. Therefore there is a need to base projects on a technology which is more appropriate and may be acceptable and profitable to the beneficiaries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vedran Stefanovic

Abstract Approximately 800 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications around the world every day, 99% of which occur in developing countries. In majority of cases deaths are related to pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. The purpose of new adjusted and simplified IAPM guidelines is specifically lowering maternal mortality by decreasing preventable deaths in developing countries (particularly in remote rural areas) by using rather cheap medicines used to control chronic and gestational hypertension, prevent pre-eclampsia in high-risk pregnancies and treat severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. IAPM guidelines should be implemented and evaluated in each developing country respecting specific problems, needs and resources. It is of essential importance to: 1. Identify specific high-risk pregnancies, 2. Commence timely appropriate ASA and calcium supplementation, 3. Organize basic antenatal care and adequate referral of pregnancies with early onset of pre-eclampsia to the appropriate institutions and ensure induction of labour in well-equipped delivery facility for women with near-term and term pre-eclampsia 4. Ensure Magnesium sulphate availability to prevent severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia-related maternal deaths, and 5. Identify specific barriers for implementation of these guidelines and correct them accordingly. Only by systematic implementations of these guidelines, we may have a chance to decrease the mortality of pre-eclampsia an its complications as a killer number one of mothers in developing countries.


2008 ◽  
pp. 988-1000
Author(s):  
Ran Neuman

This chapter discusses the impact of mobile and wireless technologies on developing countries. The new technological advances and capabilities allow developing countries the opportunity to “leapfrog” years of wired technology and infrastructure development. Based on this study, it appears that mobile and wireless technologies will not be enough to truly advance developing countries. In order to truly “leapfrog” and make up for years of technological advancements, developing countries must consider dealing with government corruption, violation of human rights and extremely low literacy rates. All those factors will derail the effort to “leapfrog” and gain economic benefits from technological advancements. The Village Cell Phone Program is an example where mobile technology created a business opportunity while at the same time changing the role of women in society. Any implementation of mobile and wireless technology must be complemented with social and political reform in order to be successful.


1993 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger J. Bulger

AbstractMedical education in the United States is torn between its allegiance to the Newtonian biomolecular paradigm of medical science that made it so successful in the past and a growing sense, both within academia and without, that medicine needs to become more interdisciplinary and population based. This article explores the potential of the Oxford Perinatal Care model as a useful tool for medical educators to bridge the curricular gap between these two paradigms. The Oxford model is based upon ongoing meta-analysis of all randomized control trials relating to perinatal medicine; interventions and technologies are placed into one of four categories, ranging from “forms of care that reduce negative outcomes” to “forms of care that should be abandoned.” This article proposes a strategy for the inclusion of this information into the U.S. medical school curriculum.


Author(s):  
Cynthia L. Baldwin

Abstract Animal agriculture and animal-source foods (ASF) play a critical role in food security, childhood nutrient sufficiency, and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we consider constraints to production of ASF in Africa with a focus on infectious animal diseases and climate stress and their control, by vaccines and selective breeding, respectively. This is not a meta-analysis but rather is meant to act as an overview or primer for discussing the value of livestock in developing countries, constraints to this, possible solutions, and finally some roadblocks to accomplishing this. The material provided is based on our own knowledge gained through careers in this field as well as discussions with colleagues.


Author(s):  
Jamal Belkhadir

Diabetes, obesity with their cardiovascular consequences are now a worldwide epidemic with medical, social and economic devastating and unprecedented. These diseases are no longer limited to "rich countries", and now a growing public health problem in developing countries; where the "Western" dietary pattern spreads and often replaces the traditional and healthy food. To this must be added the profound changes associated with rapid urbanization, changes in social, family and technological advances and comfort. The role of the food industry is highly present in a consumer society living under the influence and pressure of advertising... Keywords: Challenge, Diabetes, Epidemic, Lifestyle., Morocco


2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Barth

Abstract Scientific findings have indicated that psychological and social factors are the driving forces behind most chronic benign pain presentations, especially in a claim context, and are relevant to at least three of the AMA Guides publications: AMA Guides to Evaluation of Disease and Injury Causation, AMA Guides to Work Ability and Return to Work, and AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. The author reviews and summarizes studies that have identified the dominant role of financial, psychological, and other non–general medicine factors in patients who report low back pain. For example, one meta-analysis found that compensation results in an increase in pain perception and a reduction in the ability to benefit from medical and psychological treatment. Other studies have found a correlation between the level of compensation and health outcomes (greater compensation is associated with worse outcomes), and legal systems that discourage compensation for pain produce better health outcomes. One study found that, among persons with carpal tunnel syndrome, claimants had worse outcomes than nonclaimants despite receiving more treatment; another examined the problematic relationship between complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and compensation and found that cases of CRPS are dominated by legal claims, a disparity that highlights the dominant role of compensation. Workers’ compensation claimants are almost never evaluated for personality disorders or mental illness. The article concludes with recommendations that evaluators can consider in individual cases.


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