First Lady urges use of NASG to serve women’s lives

First Lady Christen Kaseba has said the use of Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG) in health institutions will greatly assist in reducing obstetric haemorrhage among women after giving birth.

Dr Kaseba said the use of NASG should therefore be rolled out to all rural areas in order to save women from dying after giving birth.

She bemoaned the high rate of women who die when giving birth adding that more interventions should be put in place to salvage the high maternal deaths in the country.

She stated that very few pregnant women in rural areas have got access to skilled health care services hence putting them at risk.

The First Lady was optimistic that the use of NASG will significantly help in reducing maternal deaths among women both in urban and rural areas.

Dr. Kaseba said this during the official opening of the dissemination meeting of the NASG held at Mulungishi International Conference today.

She said efforts aimed at serving women at birth should be supported be everyone because they will help save the lives of mothers thereby enhancing chances of Zambia attaining Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on women health.

She has since appealed to government to solicit for funds to pump in research and come up with other technologies aimed at serving women after delivery.

Dr. Kaseba also called for more health personal to be trained in the handling of the NASG if it is to achieve its intended purpose of saving life.

And University Teaching Hospital (UTH) Principal Investigator Gricelia Mkumba said research has shown that the NASG can save the life of the mother.

Dr. Mkumba explained that from the cluster randomized trial carried in Zambia and Zimbabwe, results showed that NASG is effective when rightly used.

Meanwhile, Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Development Joseph Katema emphasised that no mother should die during and after delivering.

Dr. Katema said the ministry was happy to associate itself with technologies that are aimed at saving the lives of women.

He however called for rolling out the technology to rural areas in an effort to save more lives of women at community level.