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conferenceseries
.com
September 25-26, 2017 | Atlanta, USA
2
nd
World Congress on
Medical Sociology & Community Health
Volume 7, Issue 4 (Suppl)
J Community Med Health Educ, an open access journal
ISSN:2161-0711
Medical Sociology 2017
September 25-26, 2017
AMODELFOR INTEGRATING SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS INTO PRIMARYHEALTH CARE FOR
REDUCING MATERNALAND NEONATALMORTALITY IN SOUTHAFRICA
Rose Mmusi-Phetoe
a
a
University of South Africa, South Africa
T
he maternal mortality ratio and neonatal mortality rate have been persistently high in South Africa. The Maternal and Neonatal
Mortality are indicative of the health of the population and reflect deeper issues such as inequitable distribution of the country’s
resources, social exclusion, deprivation, and lack of access to quality public services. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the
process of developing a model that meet the overall health needs of the socially excluded, the deprived and the vulnerable women
by listing those factors that influence maternal and child health outcomes. From the point of view that individual reproduction
and health decision-making take place in a milieu comprising multiple socio-economic and cultural factors, this research further
intended adding to the body of knowledge on maternal and child health in order to influence policies and interventions. Data
was collected through a multi-staged, qualitative research design. The results show how structural factors result in high risk for
poor maternal and child health outcomes, suggesting that the high rates of poor health outcomes are evidence of deprivation of
women’s needs due to poverty leading to an inability to cope with pregnancy and childbirth. The results were used to develop a model
that proposes pathways for policy action to confront both the structural and intermediary determinants of maternal and child ill
health and mortality. The pathways operate through integrative and inter-sectoral mechanisms intended at empowering women and
enhancing female reproductive health care activities.
Biography
Rose Mmusi-Phetoe is a qualified Community Health Nurse, Demographer and Sociologist. Her career started in the eighties when she qualified and worked as a
professional nurse and midwife. She moved from bed-side nursing to community health and development field, having realized that health issues are fundamentally
social issues. Her career spans more than 20 years in which she continuously engaged with communities on health promotion and development interventions to
create a livelihood. Her efforts are characterized by reaching out to the socially excluded and hard to reach populations in SA while working as a Maternal and Child
Survival Specialist at UNICEF and as a researcher, planner and policy analyst in the Departments of Health and Population Development. She is currently working
as a senior lecturer, Community Health at the University of South Africa.
emphetrm@unisa.ac.zaRose Mmusi-Phetoe, J Community Med Health Educ 2017, 7:4 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0711-C1-027