Source: Global Post
The East African Parliament on Thursday said that the East African Community (EAC) partner states are lagging behind in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Four and Five on child and maternal health.

The East African Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Population, Health and Development Chair Martin Nduwimana told a maternal health forum in Nairobi that the region is still grappling with unacceptably high levels of mortality among women, particularly around the time of delivery and newborns within the first year of birth.

"A 15-year-old East African girl is nine times more likely to die from a maternal cause compared to her peers in the developed world," Nduwimana said during the Seventh Ordinary meeting of the East African Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Population, Health and Development.

He said a significant proportion of deaths of children under the age of five occur within the first month of life, "despite the fact that the causes of the childhood deaths are well known and can be prevented by a host of easily available and affordable interventions."

The legislator noted that there is greater political will in the EAC on the implementation of measures that will prevent the deaths even in the remotest villages.

Nduwimana said the Parliament will play a big role in ensuring access to quality reproductive maternal newborn and child health commodities so that the region can achieve universal health care.

East African Community Deputy Secretary General Jesca Eriyo urged the regions government's should allocate more funds towards health, noting the region is also implementing the EAC Regional Open Health Initiative, in order to track maternal and child health indicators.

Eriyo said the region will put more emphasis on health in the Post 2015 development agenda.