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24 countries vow to cut maternal mortality rates
An alliance of 24 countries representing more than half of the world’s population pledged to boost family planning campaigns to reduce the number of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth
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n alliance of 24 countries representing more than half of the world’s population pledged to boost family planning campaigns to reduce the number of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth.
Members of Partners in Population and Development (PPD) announced in a declaration on Wednesday in Yogyakarta that they were committed to alleviating the two main causes of high maternal mortality rates by training skilled birth attendants and improving access to emergency obstetric care.
The announcement followed a two-day conference attended by health, population and social affairs ministers from PPD member countries, academics and representatives from the United Nations and several NGOs.
The declaration called on governments to prioritize family planning and maternal health and ensure they are central components in national plans, policies, programs and strategies for poverty eradication development.
The PPD is an intergovernmental alliance set up in Cairo, Egypt in 1994. Its member countries include some of the world’s most populous nations, such as China, India and Indonesia, and several African countries struggling with poverty.
Maternal mortality rates remain high in some PPD countries, especially in Africa. According to UN Population Fund data, there were 1,200 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in Mali, 1,100 deaths in Zimbabwe and 1,000 deaths in Kenya in 2007.
China has cut its maternal mortality rate to 56 per 100,000. India’s is 540. Indonesia reduced its maternal deaths from 307 in 2003 to 228 in 2007.
Indonesia’s figure is still not good enough to meet its Millennium Development Goal — a reduction of the maternal mortality rate to 102 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015.
Family planning is the key to improving maternal health, but women in many developing countries lack access to such programs, according to the declaration. “Ensuring access to family planning services remains out of reach for many, especially the poor, marginalized and the young.”
According to the UN, global maternal deaths have fallen by 34 percent, from an estimated 546,000 in 1990 to 358,000 in 2008.
“It is worrisome that 99 percent of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 57 percent and South Asia accounting for 30 percent of all deaths,” PPD chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
A World Health Organization study published in 2006 found hemorrhages and hypertensive disorders accounted for most maternal deaths in developing countries.
Maternal health can be improved and mortality reduced by over 70 percent by doubling investment in health care and with a targeted approach to reproductive health, Ghulam said.
He also recommended countries expand access to family planning services, including access to safe abortions.
