A Woman Dies Every Two Minutes During Pregnancy Or Childbirth Worldwide, UN Declares
A new report by United Nations agencies found that major setbacks in maternal health around the world lead to a woman dying from pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes.
“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,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said.
The report tracks maternal death data nationally and globally from 2000 to 2020.
It was estimated that there was around 287,000 maternal deaths in 2020 alone.
Heavy bleeding, high blood pressure, infections, complications from unsafe abortions, and underlying conditions that can be aggravated by pregnancy (such as HIV/AIDS and malaria) are the leading causes of maternal deaths.
These can all be prevented with high-quality healthcare.
“No mother should have to fear for her life while bringing a baby into the world, especially when the knowledge and tools to treat common complications exist. Equity in healthcare gives every mother, no matter who they are or where they are, a fair chance at a safe delivery and a healthy future with their family,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said.
Malta has an extremely low maternal mortality rate. In fact, the UN report shows that since the year 2000, there have been no deaths on the island related to childbirth or pregnancy.
However, in the rest of Europe, North and Latin America, the maternal mortality rate increased from 2016 to 2020, by 15-17%.
On the contrary, Australia and New Zealand, and Central and Southern Asia experienced significant declines (by 35% and 16% respectively) in their maternal mortality rates.
Unfortunately, the biggest concentration of maternal deaths continues to be found in poor countries – in 2020, 70% of maternal deaths happened in sub-Saharan Africa.
More needs to be done to prevent these deaths – it is critical that women are able to plan their childbirths, and make sure that it’s done in a safe environment.
270 million women don’t have access to modern family planning methods.
“Ending preventable maternal deaths and providing universal access to quality maternal health care require sustained national and international efforts and unwavering commitments, particularly for the most vulnerable populations. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that every mother, everywhere, survives childbirth, so that she and her children can thrive,” John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs said.
What do you make of these statistics?
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