United Nations Popultion Fund (UNFPA), a UN agency, has claimed that some 50,000 pregnant women and girls are affected from Saturday’s devastating earthquake.
We have estimated that some 50,000 pregnant women and girls could be among the survivors,
the Fund said, adding that the death toll and injuries could be more from the deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake of April 25. “Pregnant women affected by the disaster require maternal health services, including antenatal care, safe delivery services, post-partum care, and, for those who experience complications, emergency obstetric services.”
The agency also called for protections for women and girls from gender-based-voilence and other threats.
“In times of upheaval or natural disasters, pregnancy-related deaths and gender-based violence soar,” said UNFPA’s humanitarian response coordinator in Asia and the Pacific Priya Marwh. “Many women lose access to essential reproductive health services and give birth in appalling conditions without access to safe delivery services and lifesaving care,” she added.
The UN agency – a coordinating agency with the government and humanitarian partners to respond to these needs – has also deployed its emergency staff members with dignity kits and reproductive health kits that are en route to Nepal.
“The Fund is particularly concerned about the fate of pregnant women, who have been affected by the tragedy, including those who might face potentially life-threatening complications,” said the Fund’s executive director Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, in a statement on the disaster. “All efforts will be exerted to support their safety and the safety of their babies.”