Mobility and access to maternal health services in the peripheral urban area of Buenos Aires.

ANDREA GUTIÉRREZ

Mobility and health. Bridging the gap

IFRTD

Lugar: London; Año: 2012;

Argentina is not successful in carrying out its commitment to reduce by 20% the rate of maternal mortality, which it assumed in line with Millennium Development Goals. This is despite a decade of recent strong and sustained economic growth, and of having policies of free and universal access to public health. In 2009 the rate was of 5.5 maternal deaths for every 10,000 live births, the highest since 1986. According to the experts, the lack of access to health services, the late start of prenatal checks among poor women, the growing rate of teenage pregnancy and irregular abortions are the principal factors in the rise of maternal mortality. This study considers such a situation but emphasises understanding it by investigating the relationship between mobility and access to healthcare. In Argentina the literature on mobility and health is scanty, and even more so when it comes to vulnerable groups such as pregnant teenagers. There is a gap in the evidence linking mobility with the health of the general population. The lack of knowledge about this articulation limits the definition and application of public policy (Gutiérrez 2008) Infant mortality is 85% greater in teenage mothers than in mothers between 20 and 34 years of age. As such, maternal and infant mortality is 8% greater in the periphery of Buenos Aires than in its centre. Buenos Aires is one of the 20 largest metropolises in the world and grows, in population as well as size, in the distant or periurban periphery. This territory is characterised by striking contrasts, where a high income population living in closed subdivisions surrounding new highways, coexists with the poorest, expelled outwards towards zones lacking in infrastructure and services, with problems of flooding and pollution among others. The abovementioned reasons make it relevant to study the mobility of poor pregnant teenagers in periurban areas of Buenos Aires towards public health services. How to organise a public health system in order to make sure that its programs and services are delivered effectively to those who need them? Responding to this question requires a better understanding of the relationship between mobility and access to healthcare. The aim of this study is to supply evidence from innovative research, capable of playing a more relevant role in the public health and transport agenda. Promoting mobility as a basic social right of inclusion underlying access to healthcare requires a co-ordinated and transversal approach to sectorial policy.