Overview
Maternal death is a leading cause of death among women in developing countries. It has been defined by WHO as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration or site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental causes”.
Worldwide, it is estimated that 536,000 maternal deaths are reported annually, with almost 99 percent occurring in developing countries. As a result, more than 1 million children are left motherless and vulnerable. Children who have lost their mothers are up to 10 times more likely to die prematurely than those who haven’t. Government sources reveal that the causes of maternal deaths were mainly due to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, post-partum hemorrhage and pregnancy with abortive outcomes, however a portion of maternal deaths in the country have yet to be properly classified. The Guttmacher Institute reported that half of the 3.4 million pregnancies yearly are unintended and a third of these ended in induced abortions.
What Works
Four out of five maternal deaths are the direct result of obstetric complications; most of which could be avoided through family planning and reproductive health services, and deliveries assisted by skilled health professionals with easy access to emergency obstetric care (EmOC) services.
The means to prevent deaths from these complications have been available for decades, and do not require very sophisticated or expensive technology. Research shows that efforts to predict and prevent obstetric complications are not successful. But if EmOC is available, and women can access it in time to treat the complications, then their lives can be saved. This is the case in developed countries today, where maternal mortality has been significantly reduced.
Consistent with the principles of 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), MDGs and the UN’s rights-based approach, three evidence-based approaches to maternal and neonatal mortality reduction have been recommended by UN agencies (i.e.,WHO, UNICEF and the UNFPA) and address or avoid the delays in service delivery:
- All women must have access to reproductive health services, including contraception to determine the number and spacing of their children.
- Antenatal care, all deliveries and post partum care must be attended by skilled birth attendant with timely access to quality emergency obstetric and newborn care, when needed
- All mothers and newborns must benefit postpartum visits.
It is very timely indeed that in 2008, the Department of Health (DOH) issued Administrative Order 2009-28 to accelerate efforts flagship program under F1 on maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition (MNCHN). The strategy couple with international and regional guidelines and standards on reducing maternal and newborn deaths focusing on the three-pronged approach as recommended by the technical experts.
Reducing maternal mortality is one target under the Millennium Development Goal 5. Under this goal, the target is to reduce maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by three-quarters (or 52 deaths per 100,000 livebirths) by 2015. As of 2006, MMR in the Philippines was recorded at 162, thus it will be unlikely that the country will be able to achieve the target. The challenge however to reduce the MMR as much as possible before 2015 still remains and is the priority of the UNFPA.
Back to Top
