Maternal deaths halved in 20 years, but faster progress needed

Yes, in a time of pessimistic outlooks and depressing headlines, there is some good news out from a joint study by the WHO (World Health Organization), UNICEF, UNFPA, and the World Bank. According to new estimates, in the last 20 years, the number of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth declined by almost 50%.

This reduction in maternal death was the result of many successful preventative measures, including to “improve access to voluntary family planning, invest in health workers with midwifery skills, and ensure access to emergency obstetric care when complications arise.”

Despite these optimistic numbers, however, there are many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, that won’t make the Millennium Development target of 75%, and progress is still clearly needed.

However, this is still great news, seeing as many other of the Millennium Development Goals are falling further behind.  PaperSeed hopes to continue to fight maternal death and improve the outlook for women’s future, throughout the world.

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