Chesterfield hospital speaks out for the maternity crisis in Black women
Figures show Black mothers are four times more likely to die than white mothers
Chesterfield Royal Hospital has been drawing attention to some worrying statistics over the course of black history month.
They are highlighting how Black, Asian and Mixed Ethnic mothers are four times more likely to die than white mothers.
Chair of the Royal Cultural Community staff network Maria Howe from the hospital has been trying to get the information out there to break down the barriers of racism. Earlier in the month they led a webinar which highlighted the key issues, and drew attention to the structural racism which has caused such inequality as part of Black History Month.
Midwife and Chair of the Royal Cultural Community Staff Maria Howe who helped organise the webinar said:
"They're not the best statistics. Black women are four times more likely to die, Asian women are three times more likely to die and mixed ethnicities are twice as likely to die compared to white women, so there's definite disparities in the outcome for these women."
What has caused the divide?
Maria also noted that that there are several elements which can impact these statistics. She added:
"The biggest cause is structural racism; systems and policies that are in place that disadvantage women that are from an ethnic minority background. Other factors which come out of that are age, poverty and people being from deprived areas."
"It is multi-faceted, the factors that play into this. You tend to find that women from an ethnic minority background tend to have more co-morbidities like high blood pressure, diabetes, which can impact the outcomes for the mum and baby."
"The biggest complaint from women that comes out of all the different research papers is that women feel like they're not listened to or taken seriously, so there needs to be a massive structural change in organisations to start putting women at the forefront of their own care."