Maternal Deaths Disproportionately High in Developing Countries
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African women are 175 times more likely to die in childbirth than
women in developed regions of the world
Geneva - New findings on maternal mortality by WHO, UNICEF and
UNFPA show that a woman living in sub-Saharan Africa has a 1 in
16 chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth. This compares with
a 1 in 2,800 risk for a woman from a developed region. These
findings are contained in a new global report on maternal mortal-
ity released today online by the three agencies as Adobe PDf file
(40 pp. 733 kB) at:
http://www.childinfo.org/maternal_mortality_in_2000.pdf
Of the estimated 529,000 maternal deaths in 2000, 95 per cent oc-
curred in Africa and Asia, while only 4 per cent (22,000) oc-
curred in Latin America and the Caribbean, and less than one per
cent (2,500) in the more developed regions of the world.
Experience from successful maternal health programmes shows that
much of this death and suffering could be avoided if all women
had the assistance of a skilled health worker during pregnancy
and delivery, and access to emergency medical care when complica-
tions arise.
"Many women deliver their children alone or with family members
or other untrained attendants who lack the skills to deal with
complications during delivery," said Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director-
General of the World Health Organization. "Skilled attendants are
vital because they can recognise and prevent medical crises and
provide or refer for life-saving care when complications arise.
They also provide mothers with basic information about care for
themselves and their children before and after giving birth."
Reducing maternal mortality is a key factor in ensuring that all
children, especially in the world's poorest countries, survive
and thrive through adolescence.
"These new estimates indicate an unacceptably high number of
women dying in childbirth and an urgent need for increased access
to emergency obstetric care, especially in sub-Saharan Africa,"
said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy. "The widespread
provision of emergency obstetric care is essential if we want to
reduce maternal deaths."
The maternal mortality ratio, which measures the number of deaths
to women per 100,000 lives births due to pregnancy-related com-
plications, was estimated to be 400 per 100,000 live births glob-
ally in 2000. By region, it was highest in Africa (830), followed
by Asia - excluding Japan (330), Oceania - excluding Australia
and New Zealand (240), Latin America and the Caribbean (190) and
the developed countries (20).
Worldwide, 13 developing countries accounted for 70 per cent of
all maternal deaths. The highest number occurred in India where
136,000 women died, followed by Nigeria where there were 37,000
deaths.
In 2000, world leaders agreed to reduce maternal mortality by
three-quarters by 2015, as part of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). Tracking progress remains difficult, except where
comprehensive registration of deaths, including causes of death,
exists. For this reason, the use of indicators such as the pro-
portion of women who have a skilled attendant at delivery is es-
sential to track change.
The use of skilled attendants at delivery in developing countries
increased between 1990 and 2000 from 42 to 52 per cent, suggest-
ing a potential decrease in maternal deaths. Findings show the
greatest improvements in South East Asia and Northern Africa and
the slowest change in sub Saharan Africa, which went from 40 per
cent in 1990 to 43 per cent in 2000.
Most maternal deaths and disability occur as the result of one or
more of three delays: a delay in recognizing complications; a de-
lay in reaching a medical facility; or a delay in receiving good
quality care. Efforts to address these delays are essential in
order to save the lives of mothers and babies.
Education on family planning and the provision of family planning
services of high quality can also make a difference.
"More lives could be saved if women had access to voluntary fam-
ily planning to ensure that births are spaced properly, skilled
attendance at delivery, and emergency obstetric care. UNFPA is
committed to reducing the high levels of maternal death and dis-
ability that exist today," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive
Director of UNFPA.
The death of a mother during pregnancy or childbirth is a human
tragedy at the individual, family and societal levels. The
chances of survival not only of the newborn but also of the other
children are substantially diminished when the mother dies.
As the focal agencies within the United Nations system for the
health of women and children, WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA pledge to en-
hance - both individually and jointly in collaboration with their
partners - their efforts in assisting countries strengthen their
maternal health programmes.
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