Closing Pakistan’s Maternity Wards Puts Women at Risk

Expand Pakistani women wearing face masks leave the Aga Khan hospital where a patient suspected of having contracted coronavirus was admitted, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020.  © AP Photo/Fareed Khan With one of the highest maternal mortality rates in South Asia, Pakistan was already in crisis before the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, the reported closing of maternity wards in Islamabad, the capital, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province could exacerbate an already grim situation, especially for impoverished women and girls. Like other countries, Pakistan faces huge challenges providing essential…

© Human Rights Watch - samedi 9 mai 2020