Condemning women and babies to graves

In spite of advanced medical technology, over 500,000 women and babies die every year due to preventable pregnancy complications. Realizing the significance of health communication tools and strategies that address the barriers to accessing skilled medical attendants by pregnant women in poor communities resulted to the publication of this book.Based on the findings of a study done by the author in Kenya's Korogocho slums, urban poor women continue to face barriers to access of formal obstetric services at family, community, and health facility levels, and efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality among the urban poor must tackle the barriers, which operate at different levels to hinder women's access to obstetric care services. This book therefore recommends a health communication strategy that triangulates the use of mobile phone texting which the author calls m-birth; Edutainment techniques together with interpersonal communication approaches as a mechanism of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.

Autorentext

Aggrey Willis Otieno studied M.A in Communications & Development, and Diploma in Community Health at Ohio University, USA. He founded Pambazuko Mashinani, and is Kenya's President of Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program Alumni Association. He has wide experience in designing and managing Health Communication projects in Africa and USA