Respectful Maternity Care: Fundamental Human Right in Labour and Delivery

Labour and childbirth is an important event in the life of a woman and her family members. For a pregnancy to go uneventful there should be good interaction between healthcare providers and the pregnant mother is a prerequisite for good pregnancy outcome which can be practiced through Respectful Maternity Care (RMC). It is necessary to provide emotional support and be able to get good information and effective information from the woman in labour and child birth. Respectful Maternity Care is an approach to care which uses the approach of fundamental human right of the newborn, mother and families and also provides access to evidence based care giving preference to both newborn and mother. Respectful Maternity Care is an approach to care which uses the approach of fundamental human right of the newborn, mother and families and also provides access to evidence based care giving preference to both newborn and mother. Mistreating pregnant women entails discrimination, failure to obtain consent for procedures like vaginal examination, episiotomy, induction of labour, caesarean section and so on physical and or verbal abuse, neglect, lack of supportive care, lack of privacy and so on. The mentioned mistreatment can take place between the healthcare workers and the pregnant women, or even at a higher level like health facility and health system. It is therefore recommended that pregnant women should be treated well and organized care provided to them in a manner that maintains their dignity, privacy and confidentiality, ensures freedom from harm and mistreatment.

Keywords: Delivery. Human Right, Labour, Maternity Care, Respectful,