Global Maternal Mortality Rates Drop By 44 Percent Since 1990: UN Report

A report by UN agencies and the World Bank found that deaths of women from pregnancy-related cases have fallen by almost half across the world in the past century. However, only nine countries have achieved the targets set by the UN.

"This report will show that by the end of 2015 maternal mortality will have dropped by 44 percent from its levels from 1990," said Dr Lale Say, coordinator for reproductive health and research at the World Health Organization.

An Increase in Maternal Mortality Rate due to Ebola Outbreak in Western Africa
The number of maternal deaths would still be high in western Africa even if the three countries - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea - are declared Ebola-free, by 111% , 74% and 38% respectively.

‘In eastern Asia, the maternal mortality ratio fell from approximately 95 to 27 per 100,000 live births. The UN has now set a goal of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.’

Tweet it Now

"This is huge progress but the progress is uneven across countries, across different regions of the world," with 99 percent of the deaths in developing countries, she said.

The report, published simultaneously in the British medical journal The Lancet, said that in 2015 some 303,000 women died as a result of complications during pregnancy or up to six weeks after giving birth, down from 532,000 in 1990.

"This equates to an estimated global ratio of 216 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, down from 385 in 1990," it said.

Niger Strives to Lower Both Birth and Maternal Mortality Rates
Having a baby in impoverished Niger can be tantamount to a death sentence, with the world's highest birth rate in a country where first-time mothers are often barely past puberty.

As part of the Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000, UN member states pledged to reduce maternal mortality by 75 percent by 2015 from 1990 levels.

But only nine countries have achieved this target, although 39 others have registered "significant progress" in reducing maternal deaths, said Say.

To Reduce Maternal Mortality Doctors Favor Low-cost Devices
Low-cost devices favored by specialist doctors to reduce maternal mortality and ensure better healthcare for women in India.

The greatest improvement was in eastern Asia, where the maternal mortality ratio fell from approximately 95 to 27 per 100,000 live births.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for two our of every three deaths in the world.

In Russia Maternal Mortality Falls by Over Half
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that maternal mortality rate in Russia has fallen by 55 per cent since 2005.

"But that represents a major improvement: Sub-Saharan Africa saw nearly 45 percent fewer maternal deaths" over the period, the report said.

"Ensuring access to high-quality health services during pregnancy and child birth is helping to save lives," it said.

It said essential health interventions required include practicing good hygiene to reduce infection, injecting oxytocin hormone immediately after childbirth to reduce risk of severe bleeding, and identifying potentially fatal conditions like pregnancy-induced hypertension.

The UN has now set a goal of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.

But achieving that goal will require much more effort, said Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the UN Population Fund.

"Many countries with high maternal death rates will make little progress, or will fall behind, over the next 15 years if we don’t improve the current number of available midwives and other health workers with midwifery skills," he was quoted as saying in a press release accompanying the report.

"If we don’t make a big push now, in 2030 we’ll be faced, once again, with a missed target for maternal deaths."

Source-AFP