UN says maternal deaths drop

Accra, Oct. 8, GNA - The United Nations (UN) said on Friday that though fewer women died now from pregnancy-related causes, thousands still died every day and that there was more to be done to achieve set targets.

The number of women dying due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth has decreased by 34 per cent from an estimated 546,000 in 1990 to 358,000 in 2008, according to a new report titled "Trends in maternal mortality", released by the WHO, the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nation's Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank.

A statement from the UN said "the progress is notable, but the annual rate of decline is less than half of what is needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by 75 per cent between 1990 and 2015 which would require an annual decline of 5.5 per cent. The decline since 1990 translates into an average annual decline of just 2.3 per cent". "The global reduction in maternal death rates is encouraging news", said Dr Margaret Chan, the Director General of WHO. She said "Countries where women are facing a high risk of death during pregnancy or child birth are taking measures that are proving effective; they are training more midwives and strengthening hospitals and health centers to assist pregnant women. No woman should die due to inadequate access to family planning and to pregnancy and delivery care."

The statement said pregnant women died from four major causes: severe bleeding after birth, infections, hypertensive disorders, and unsafe abortion. About 1000 women die due to those problems everyday. Out of the figure, 570 live in sub-Saharan Africa, 300 in South Asia and five in high income countries.

The risk of a woman in a developing country dying from a pregnancy related cause during her lifetime is about 36 times higher compared to a woman living in a developed country.

"To achieve our global goal of improving maternal health and to save women's lives we need to do more to reach those who are most at risk", says Mr Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF. "That means reaching women in rural areas and poorer households, women from ethnic minorities and indigenous groups, and women living with HIV in conflict zones".

The new estimates show that it is possible to prevent many more women from dying the statement said and asked countries to invest in their health systems and in the quality of care. "Every birth should be safe and every pregnancy wanted", says Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the Executive Director of UNFPA. "The lack of maternal health care violates women's right to life, health, equality and non-discrimination. The MDGs can be achieved," she said and added "but we urgently need to address the shortage of health workers and step up funding for reproductive health services."