Medical News
Pregnancy-related deaths occur every two minutes
A woman dies somewhere in the world every two minutes from complications associated with pregnancy or childbirth , according to a report by UN agencies
These disturbing findings were recently reported in a new UN report entitled , “ Trends In Maternal Mortality .” It highlights the failure of global healthcare to reverse this alarming trend despite a one-third drop in maternal deaths over the past 20 years . In 2020 , over 287,000 women died during or after pregnancy and childbirth , only a slight decline from 309,000 in 2016 , the year the UN Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) were implemented . One of these is to reduce the global maternal death rate from 223 to below 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030 .
According to the report ’ s findings , nearly 95 percent of all maternal deaths in 2020 occurred in low and lower middle-income countries , with almost 70 percent , or 202,000 , taking place in Sub-Saharan Africa . These figures demonstrate that maternal mortality is disproportionately concentrated in poor and conflictridden nations . Vulnerable countries such as Somalia , South Sudan , the Syrian Arab Republic , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Central African Republic , Chad , Sudan , and Afghanistan suffer from an average maternal mortality rate ( MMR ) of 551 per 100,000 live births , more than twice the global average . In these states , a variety of factors impede women ’ s access to healthcare , including affordability , inadequately trained personnel , and limited medical supplies .
In comparison , developed regions such as Australia and New �ealand , as well as Central and Southern Asia , saw significant reductions in maternal mortality rates of 35 percent and 16 percent , respectively . The high number of maternal deaths in certain regions of the world underlines inequities in access to high-quality health care and highlights the disparity between the rich and poor .
The UN report also cites factors that contribute to increased maternal mortality , such as severe bleeding post-delivery , high blood pressure , infections , complications from unsafe abortions , and underlying illnesses such as AIDS and malaria . The majority of these complications are either preventable or treatable . For example , post-delivery bleeding can be managed by administering oxytocic drugs , while infections can be prevented by practicing good hygiene . And a combination of early detection and magnesium sulphate medication can prevent pre-eclampsia , when severe high blood pressure during pregnancy causes seizures .
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , director of the World Health Organization ( WHO ), voiced alarm over these findings and the fact that pregnancy , which is supposed to be a joyful experience for women globally , has become a perilous event for them . “ These new statistics reveal the urgent need to ensure every woman and girl has access to critical health services before , during and after childbirth , and that they can fully exercise their reproductive rights ,” he said .
Based on these findings , the WHO should make maternal health a top priority by establishing additional community-based primary healthcare facilities that provide vital medical services , such as pre- and postnatal care , vaccination , nutrition , and family planning . It also needs to find a comprehensive solution to healthcare inequity in countries with failing health systems , provide universal healthcare coverage , and adopt evidence-based policies that will ultimately reduce maternal mortality in accordance with goals of the UN SDGs .
Nearly 95 percent of all maternal deaths in 2020 occurred in low and lower middleincome countries
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