Unfortunately, Oaxaca is one of the poorest regions in Mexico with an average daily income of less than half the national average. Because there are many problems with poverty, there are many public health problems within the region because of it. Sanitation, unemployment, and access to healthcare services all relate to these problems. There is a big indigenous population within Oaxaca and these peoples do not have access to things that are vital for their health. They can also not afford a lot of these necessities either. There is a lack of education, transportation, and an issue with resource shortage that all correlate to problems of public health within Oaxaca.
A big public health issue within Oaxaca is a lack of proper maternal health. Pregnant women do not receive necessary care on time because of the lack of info, the relatively low quality of medical services, no easy access to health centers, and the cultural barriers between indigenous practices and the popular biomedical methods used in many hospitals. The physiological and anatomical concepts about reproduction held by traditional midwives in southern Oaxaca differ considerably from biomedicine. This creates a barrier of receiving healthcare that women need for a health delivery and a lack of mutual understanding between healthcare provider and patient. Indigenous women in Oaxaca are three times more likely to die from childbirth than a non-indiginious person. These numbers are shocking and incredibly sad to see that women in Oaxaca are not getting the right amount of care to deliver a child. There are some NGOs set up in Oaxaca that are trying to change this though. For example, the NGO GESMujer was established to support women by providing them with services that are helpful for reproductive health. These include, psychological and legal consolations, workshops on sexual and reproductive health, and gender equality information. The NGO looks to help women without changing their indigenous views or cultures.
Other public health problems that are affecting Oaxaca are access to running water and food security. More than one out of every two households has a problem with food security in Oaxaca. Because of the lack of running water there is also a problem with sanitation. Many Oaxaca households are still equipped with dirt floors so this adds to issues with sanitation. With not enough access to water and food, there are many issues with malnutrition within children. This relates back to the reproductive health problem within Oaxaca. A lack of proper nutrition is bad for both a pregnant mother and her baby. A statistic claims that malnutrition in indigenous children is now at about fifteen percent.
It is important to address these public health problems so they can be further understood and hopefully improved within the near future.
Sources:
https://www.ippfwhr.org/en/blog/what-is-the-sexual-and-reproductive-health-need-in-oaxaca
http://www.gesmujer.org/en/
http://publichealth.nyu.edu/content/dam/mph/documents/PUHE%20GE%202317%20Global%20Issues%20in%20PH%20and%20Nutrition,%20Parekh,%20Jan15.pdf
Great post, Katie! I like how you discussed the many different factors that influence the health of a region or group of people, including things like access to education and transportation, and cultural barriers. I also like how you focused on maternal health as this is a key area to public health overall since healthy mothers often lead to healthier children (and healthier future generations).
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