Respectful maternity care still has a ways to go despite being added as a focus into the Sustainable Development Goals. A 2015 systematic review of researches across different countries revealed that women, particularly those in maternity, continue to suffer abuses based on seven categories, namely physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, stigma and discrimination, failure to meet professional standards of care, poor rapport between women and providers, and health system conditions and constraints. Found to be most prevalent in middle and low-income countries, with the majority of maternal deaths occurring in these identified countries totaling over 300,000 in 2013 alone. This continues to be a significant number in the overall global maternal population due to the aforementioned injustices. As the Philippines is one of those middle to low-income countries, we must be prepared to face and provide appropriate respectful maternal care. With a significant number of the country's maternal population being underage, and the lack of access of this population to professional standards of care and proper support systems due to their socioeconomic status, and continued prevalence of sexual and physical abuse, the Philippine healthcare system must educate and continue to face these cases to provide a healthy and safe maternity for the mother and help ensure a proper future for their child. It is well known that what happens to the mother during pregnancy also affects the infant, especially in their early stages of development critical for the formation of vital organs and bodily structures which wpuld then affect the course of their development within and out of the womb. As future nurses who would deal with maternal patients, we must be prepared to address issues and injustices they face in their maternal journey. By being aware of these things, we will be more aware of how to interact with them, empathize, and provide respectful maternal care.
References
Bohren MA, Vogel JP, Hunter EC, Lutsiv O, Makh SK, et al. (2015) The Mistreatment of Women during Childbirth in Health Facilities Globally: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review. PLOS Medicine 12(6): e1001847. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001847