By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: India tops the list of 10 countries that account for 60 per cent of global maternal deaths, stillbirths, and newborn deaths, and 51 per cent of the world’s live births, a UN report has said.
While India is in the top position, it is followed by Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Tanzania, said the latest report by the WHO, UNICEF, and the UNFPA.
Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia are the regions experiencing the largest numbers of deaths
“The latest published estimates show there were a combined 4.5 million deaths: maternal deaths (0.29 million), stillbirths (1.9 million) and newborn deaths (2.3 million),” the report said.
India saw 7,88,000 maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths in 2020, a total of 4.5 million deaths globally.
“Rigorous estimation for stillbirth rates is critical, many countries have poor availability or quality of data. Nearly 1/3 of countries have no stillbirths data or have data quality problems.”– Dr. Mark Hereward, Assoc. Director, Data and Analytics, UNICEF#EndStillbirths
— UNICEF Data (@UNICEFData) October 21, 2020
The country also accounts for 17 per cent of global live births, which could be a factor in many maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
“In the worst-affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia – the regions with the greatest burden of newborn and maternal deaths – fewer than 60 per cent of women receive even four of WHO’s recommended eight antenatal checks,” the report added.
The 10 ‘fragile countries’ alone account for 659,000 global maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths (14% of the worldwide total).
The report said that global progress in reducing deaths of pregnant women, mothers and babies has flatlined for eight years due to decreasing investments in maternal and newborn health.
The report shows that over 4.5 million women and babies die every year during pregnancy, childbirth or the first weeks after birth – equivalent to 1 death happening every 7 seconds – mostly from preventable or treatable causes if proper care was available.
“Pregnant women and newborns continue to die at unacceptably high rates worldwide, and the COVID-19 pandemic has created further setbacks to providing them with the healthcare they need,” said Dr Anshu Banerjee, Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at the World Health Organization (WHO).
“If we wish to see different results, we must do things differently. More and smarter investments in primary healthcare are needed so that every woman and baby – no matter where they live – have the best chance of health and survival.”
The report, improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth, assesses the latest data on these deaths – which have similar risk factors and causes – and tracks the provision of critical health services.
Overall, the report shows that progress in improving survival has stagnated since 2015, with around 290,000 maternal deaths each year, 1.9 million stillbirths – babies who die after 28 weeks of pregnancy – and a staggering 2.3 million newborn deaths, which are deaths in the first month of life.
The COVID-19 pandemic, rising poverty, and worsening humanitarian crises have intensified pressures on stretched health systems.
Steven Lauwerier, UNICEF Director of Health, said that since the Covid-19 pandemic, babies, children and women who were already exposed to threats to their well-being, especially those living in fragile countries and emergencies, are facing the heaviest consequences of decreased spending and efforts on providing quality and accessible healthcare.
Funding shortfalls and underinvestment in primary healthcare can devastate survival prospects.
For instance, while prematurity is now the leading cause of all under-five deaths globally, less than a third of countries report having sufficient newborn care units to treat small and sick babies.
“The death of any woman or young girl during pregnancy or childbirth is a serious violation of their human rights,” said Dr Julitta Onabanjo, Director of the Technical Division at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Every 2 minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth:UN reportMost of these deaths are preventable with the right care, at the right time https://t.co/7FegPsNvgZ#HealthForAll pic.twitter.com/pcznUFwy0r
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 23, 2023
“It also reflects the urgent need to scale up access to quality sexual and reproductive health services as part of universal health coverage and primary health care, especially in communities where maternal mortality rates have stagnated or even risen during recent years.
Recent data show that only about 60% of women aged 15-49 make decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Based on current trends, more than 60 countries are not set to meet the maternal, newborn and stillborn mortality reduction targets in the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
NEW DELHI: India tops the list of 10 countries that account for 60 per cent of global maternal deaths, stillbirths, and newborn deaths, and 51 per cent of the world’s live births, a UN report has said.
While India is in the top position, it is followed by Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Tanzania, said the latest report by the WHO, UNICEF, and the UNFPA.
Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia are the regions experiencing the largest numbers of deathsgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
“The latest published estimates show there were a combined 4.5 million deaths: maternal deaths (0.29 million), stillbirths (1.9 million) and newborn deaths (2.3 million),” the report said.
India saw 7,88,000 maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths in 2020, a total of 4.5 million deaths globally.
“Rigorous estimation for stillbirth rates is critical, many countries have poor availability or quality of data. Nearly 1/3 of countries have no stillbirths data or have data quality problems.”
– Dr. Mark Hereward, Assoc. Director, Data and Analytics, UNICEF#EndStillbirths
— UNICEF Data (@UNICEFData) October 21, 2020
The country also accounts for 17 per cent of global live births, which could be a factor in many maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
“In the worst-affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia – the regions with the greatest burden of newborn and maternal deaths – fewer than 60 per cent of women receive even four of WHO’s recommended eight antenatal checks,” the report added.
The 10 ‘fragile countries’ alone account for 659,000 global maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths (14% of the worldwide total).
The report said that global progress in reducing deaths of pregnant women, mothers and babies has flatlined for eight years due to decreasing investments in maternal and newborn health.
The report shows that over 4.5 million women and babies die every year during pregnancy, childbirth or the first weeks after birth – equivalent to 1 death happening every 7 seconds – mostly from preventable or treatable causes if proper care was available.
“Pregnant women and newborns continue to die at unacceptably high rates worldwide, and the COVID-19 pandemic has created further setbacks to providing them with the healthcare they need,” said Dr Anshu Banerjee, Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at the World Health Organization (WHO).
“If we wish to see different results, we must do things differently. More and smarter investments in primary healthcare are needed so that every woman and baby – no matter where they live – have the best chance of health and survival.”
The report, improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth, assesses the latest data on these deaths – which have similar risk factors and causes – and tracks the provision of critical health services.
Overall, the report shows that progress in improving survival has stagnated since 2015, with around 290,000 maternal deaths each year, 1.9 million stillbirths – babies who die after 28 weeks of pregnancy – and a staggering 2.3 million newborn deaths, which are deaths in the first month of life.
The COVID-19 pandemic, rising poverty, and worsening humanitarian crises have intensified pressures on stretched health systems.
Steven Lauwerier, UNICEF Director of Health, said that since the Covid-19 pandemic, babies, children and women who were already exposed to threats to their well-being, especially those living in fragile countries and emergencies, are facing the heaviest consequences of decreased spending and efforts on providing quality and accessible healthcare.
Funding shortfalls and underinvestment in primary healthcare can devastate survival prospects.
For instance, while prematurity is now the leading cause of all under-five deaths globally, less than a third of countries report having sufficient newborn care units to treat small and sick babies.
“The death of any woman or young girl during pregnancy or childbirth is a serious violation of their human rights,” said Dr Julitta Onabanjo, Director of the Technical Division at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Every 2 minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth:
UN report
Most of these deaths are preventable with the right care, at the right time https://t.co/7FegPsNvgZ#HealthForAll pic.twitter.com/pcznUFwy0r
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 23, 2023
“It also reflects the urgent need to scale up access to quality sexual and reproductive health services as part of universal health coverage and primary health care, especially in communities where maternal mortality rates have stagnated or even risen during recent years.
Recent data show that only about 60% of women aged 15-49 make decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Based on current trends, more than 60 countries are not set to meet the maternal, newborn and stillborn mortality reduction targets in the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
