Yesterday, President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca delivered the opening speech at a session entitled ‘Equal Access to Maternal Healthcare in the EU’, organised by MSD for Mothers at the WPL Global Summit 2018.
This session, President Coleiro Preca said, will be an opportunity to build on the valuable work which has already been done. “This includes the Outcome Declaration developed in Malta during the first Maternal Health Meeting, held on the margins of the Meeting of EU Health Ministers during Malta’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, as well as other sessions held in Brussels, New York, and Iceland last year”, the President said.
“All mothers and their babies, no matter where they live in the European Union, should have the same opportunity to receive, safety, protection and support”
The President said that the findings of the research which was presented during the session concerning maternal health within the region of the EU should strengthen “our conviction not to be complacent in the face of blatant disparities among the quality of care received by expectant mothers and their children within the EU.”
President Coleiro Preca stated that a European transformation in the areas of maternal, newborn, and child heathcare is possible, if all governments and authorities make the choice to invest effectively and efficiently in our women and girls, adding that the participation of the private sector in a more well-integrated and robust way within national and regional healthcare strategies is essential.
“I believe that healthier mothers, are not only an essential investment in the wellbeing of our communities and our society, but they are also a recognised driver of economic growth and prosperity,” the President said.
“It is shocking to consider that maternal mortality and a lack of comprehensive care is still a cause of concern within European countries”
The President said that we must discover how to better safeguard all aspects of an expectant mother’s experience. This is due to the fact that there are vast differences in approaches and practices in the maternal health systems across the European Union, as the research study shows.
The study also sheds light on the challenges to access to maternal healthcare that women face, especially those who are experiencing different forms of vulnerability and precarity. These include teen and young adult mothers; women of Roma heritage; women living in poverty; and others from precarious or minority groups. The situation is even more compounded when the challenges faced by refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant women are considered.
“Addressing the lack of information and existing gaps in the knowledge base of maternal healthcare for all kinds of vulnerable women in the European Union, is one of the primary reasons that the MSD for Mothers research project was originally commissioned”
President Coleiro Preca said that women cannot be allowed to slip through the gaps of the health systems, “especially when considering the increased challenges faced by vulnerable groups in our union”, adding that collaborative efforts must be created, on a regional European level to raise awareness about the rights of vulnerable pregnant women, not just among the women and adolescent girls themselves, “but also men, families, and communities.”
The President said that the policies of the European Union must include relevant policy instruments to address high quality maternal healthcare tailored to the specific needs of an expectant mother, further stressing that “mental, and emotional health must be part of a united EU approach, to holistically address the maternal healthcare of all women.”
Finally, President Coleiro Preca encouraged MSD for Mothers to continue with their collaboration with WPL, to further research maternal health in other regions of the world, as in this way, “we shall safeguarding and promoting the fundamental dignity of all our women, children and families.”