photographs & text by Jean Chung editor+designer: Yumi Goto translator: Keimi Lee text editor: Karen Coates,Tetz Hakoda, Maki Abe production assistant: Kishin Shimomoto, Motoe Horikawa A caretaker wraps Qamar s face with a linen belt as the 26-year-old tuberculosis patient dies after suffering almost two weeks of postpartum complications at Faizabad Provincial Hospital, Faizabad in Badakshan province, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 20, 2007. 26 2 2007 5 20
Qamar, left, a 26-year-old tuberculosis patient from Shohada district, sits in her hospital bed with her newborn son and mother-in-law, Khalisa, inside the recovery room at Faizabad Provincial Hospital, in Faizabad, Badakshan province, Afghanistan, Friday, May 11, 2007. Qamar, who lost her first child during natural delivery about two years before, delivered her second baby by Cesarean section. However, her health conditions deteriorated for unknown reasons, and she suffered from postpartum complications such as meningitis, hypothermia, and toxoplasmosis. She died in the hospital on May 20, leaving her baby and husband behind. The family was so poor they could not afford the blood, which costs about $100 USD. photographs & text by Jean Chung for pdfx12 photo documentary foliox12 vol.9 In Afghanistan, an astonishing number of women 25,000 die from obstetric causes each year. One woman dies every 27 minutes. Afghanistan has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world, after only Sierra Leone. The national maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Afghanistan was 1,900 per 100,000 live births, according to a 2000 UN report, compared with 17 in the United States. Furthermore, Ragh district in Badakshan province in Afghanistan has the highest MMR recorded in human history: 6,500. Hemorrhaging and obstructed labor were among the direct causes of deaths, while indirect causes included tuberculosis, malaria, and obstetric tetanus. According to a 2002 survey of Afghan women who died postpartum, conducted by Dr. Linda Bartlett, 94% died within 42 days. Fifty-six percent of those women died in the first 24 hours My photo reportage on Afghan s maternal mortality tells a story of a young woman, Qamar, who already had tuberculosis and later died of complications two weeks after the delivery in Badakshan province. Her death could have been prevented if proper family planning and prenatal healthcare were provided. None of the family members knew she had suffered serious tuberculosis. My story follows her from the hospital, when she was recovering from her delivery, to the funeral in her village. Through this journey, I documented how a woman could lose her life from such unbelievable causes. Reducing the maternal mortality is a human rights issue for women and children. My report through one woman s story exemplifies that low socioeconomic status and lack of education among women can have considerable effects on maternal death in Afghanistan. contact Jean Chung: www.jeanchung.net E-mail: jean@jeanchung.net Mobile: +82 (0) 16 500 8029 (in Korea) 3 4
photographs & text by Jean Chung for pdfx12 photo documentary foliox12 vol.9 Khalisa, Qamar's mother-in-law, closes Qamar's eyes as she stops breathing after suffering almost two weeks of postpartum complications. Qamar's body is placed in an empty hospital room. Azibullah, 30, the husband of Qamar, tries to wake her up as she suffers from postpartum complications. 30
涙を浮かべるカマールの夫のアジ ブラー 母親と息子 カマールの 遺体と共にファイザバード州立 病院を後にする An Afghan woman in a burqa, glances at the dead body of Qamar. Relatives and volunteers carry the body on foot for 10 km due to road closures en route to her village. Azibullah cries next to the dead body of his wife, Qamar. 妻カマールの遺体のそばで涙を 流すアジブラー Elderly women wash the dead body of Qamar. カマールの遺体を洗う年老いた 女性たち 7 photographs & text by Jean Chung for pdfx12 photo documentary foliox12 vol.9 カマールの遺体を見つめるブルガ姿 の女性 道が封鎖されているため 親戚と有志が遺体を10キロ先の 故郷まで歩いて運ぶ Azibullah, Qamar's husband, cries as he leaves the Faizabad Provincial Hospital with his mother, son, and Qamar's body. Women weep as they sit around the dead body of Qamar. カマールの遺体を囲んで座り 泣き崩れる女性たち Male members of the village and the family pray before the dead body of Qamar. カマールの遺体の前で祈る村の男性たちと家族
Qamar, a 26-year-old tuberculosis patient who died of postpartum complications two weeks after giving birth, lies with her baby in their village house in Shohada district, Badakshan province, Afghanistan. アフガニスタン バダフシャーン州 ショハダ地区にあるカマールの家 出産から2週間後に分娩後の合併症 により命を落とした26歳の結核患者 である彼女のそばには赤ん坊が横 たわる photographs & text by Jean Chung for pdfx12 photo documentary foliox12 vol.9