-
Zambia: How Zambia Has Reduced Maternal Deaths By 300% in 16 Years
UNFPA, 24 February 2022
"Growing up in a remote village, I witnessed my grandmother, a traditional birth attendant, assisting women and girls to deliver babies. She would perform these deliveries at home,… Read more »
-
Africa: Maternal and Child Healthcare Isn't Reaching Everyone in Urban Sub-Saharan Africa
The Conversation Africa, 12 January 2022
The world has seen dramatic improvements in maternal, newborn and child health. For instance, the World Health Organisation reported a 38% reduction in maternal deaths between 2000… Read more »
Here's How Zambia Reduced Maternal Deaths By 300% in 16 Years
Zambia has made significant strides in the past two decades to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes. The maternal mortality rate dropped nearly 300% in 16 years - from 729 deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2002, to 278 deaths per 100,000 in 2018.
What has been critical in this achievement is greater availability of skilled midwifery personnel. The number of births assisted by a skilled attendant more than doubled over the same period, from 42% in 2002 to 80% in 2018.
Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have also seen a reduction in maternal mortality by as much as half since 2000. Still, there's a great variation in maternal deaths between low- and high-income countries. Low - and middle-income countries still account for a high proportion of the world's maternal deaths.
InFocus
-
The government has an obligation to ensure that no woman should die due to pregnancy-related causes, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Matthews Ngwale has said. ... Read more »
-
After the genocide in 1994, Rwanda now has its act together and reduced deaths among under five-year-old children by 67%. After two civil wars and an Ebola epidemic, nearly 70% of ... Read more »
-
A report - "Why Are Women Dying While Giving Birth in Nigeria?" - is the culmination of a community-informed maternal death review, carried out in 18 communities across six states, ... Read more »
-
In Nigeria, the rate of maternal and infants deaths due to preventable health problems is alarming. Nigeria currently has one of the highest rates of maternal and infant deaths in ... Read more »
-
According to a 2015 report by the United Nations, Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth. The HelpMum organisation gives gives pregnant women in ... Read more »
-
The Minister of Health and Population, Atupele Muluzi has said that the government is committed to ensuring that maternal and infant mortality come to an end by 2030. Malawi has ... Read more »
