The leading causes of maternal deaths are severe bleeding, high blood pressure, pregnancy related infections, complications from unsafe abortions, and underlying conditions that can be aggravated by pregnancy, such as AIDS and malaria

A woman dies every two minutes from preventable conditions during pregnancy and childbirth, a report by United Nations agencies has revealed.

Tracking the maternal deaths around the world from 2000 to 2020, the report found that the maternity deaths have either increased or remained stagnant in all regions. In 2016 alone, there were 309,000 maternal deaths. The number declined to 28,7000 after the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) came into effect in 2020.

The leading causes of maternal deaths are found to be severe bleeding, high blood pressure, pregnancy related infections, complications from unsafe abortions, and underlying conditions that can be aggravated by pregnancy, such as AIDS and malaria. All these conditions are preventable if there is access to high-quality healthcare.

While pregnancy should be a time of immense hope and a positive experience for all women, it is tragically still a shockingly dangerous experience for millions around the world who lack access to high quality health care Share on X Director General of World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“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 added.

The report further states that the most maternal deaths are concentrated in the poorest parts of the world and in regions affected by conflict. As per 2020 data, 70 percent of deaths related to pregnancy or childbirth were reported in sub-Saharan Africa. Maternal mortality rates were more than double in 9 countries facing humanitarian crises than the world average.

Some nations, however, are making significant progress in uplifting women’s health. Regions like Australia and New Zealand, Central and Southern Asia – have experienced significant declines of 35 percent and 16 percent, respectively in their maternal mortality rates between 2016 and 2020, the report points out.

The underfunding of primary healthcare systems, lack of trained health workers, and weak supply chains for medical products are mainly threatening the progress in women’s health-care. The report notes that some 270 million women lack access to modern family planning methods and around a third of women don’t have access to prenatal and postnatal care.

“We can and must do better by urgently investing in family planning and filling the global shortage of 900,000 midwives so that every woman can get the lifesaving care she needs,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. “We have the tools, knowledge and resources to end preventable maternal deaths; what we need now is the political will,”

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said: “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,” she added.

Also Read: Unsafe abortions are killing women in South Asia

Author

Insha Dar

Insha Mushtaq, a health reporter for The Health Leads, hails originally from Srinagar, Kashmir. She possesses an uncanny ability to distill complex issues into accessible and engaging articles. In addition, Insha holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Mumbai University and is currently pursuing a Master's in Convergent Journalism at the Central University of Kashmir.

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