Unicef report

UNICEF: Maternal Deaths High in Developing Countries
09.24.2008


More than 99 per cent of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries, according to a report card released by UNICEF.In its ``Progress for Children,''report, the UN Children's Fund states that 84 per cent of the deaths is concentrated in Sub-saharan Africa and South Asia . ``The tragic fact is that every year, more than half a million women lose their lives as a result of complications due to pregnancy or childbirth. ``The causes of maternal mortality are clear, as are the means to combat them, yet women continue to die unnecessarily, the report said. According to the report, haemorrhage is the most common cause of death, particularly in Africa and Asia . A woman's overall health, including her nutritional level and HIV status, also influences the chances of a positive outcome to her pregnancy and childbirth, it said. Other influences include societal factors, such as poverty, inequity and general attitudes towards women and their health. ``Maternal mortality rates are often impacted by cultural or traditional practices that often prevent women from seeking delivery or post-partum care. ``In the developing world, the risk of death from complications relating to pregnancy and childbirth over the course of a woman’s lifetime is one in 76, compared with one in 8,000 in the industrialised world.”``The riskiest place to give birth is Niger , where that risk is estimated to be one in seven,'' the report notes. It states that most maternal deaths are avoidable and a key to avoiding them is better health care, particularly during pregnancy, delivery and in the post-partum period. The report notes that there have been some promising areas of improvement in maternal health interventions in recent years. ``Coverage of antenatal care throughout the developing world has increased by 15 percentage points in the past decade, with 75 per cent of expectant mothers now receiving some antenatal care. ``It states that many countries have boosted coverage of skilled delivery attendance.” ``Ensuring that skilled personnel are present at all deliveries and that these personnel have access to emergency care where necessary is the most effective means of saving the lives of mothers,'' it said. The report notes that the pace of progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goal on maternal health has been too slow throughout the developing world.