The unconscionable global toll of death during childbirth
From the National Post (Canada), an opinion piece by Liberal MP Dr. Keith Martin. Excerpt:
Every minute of every day, a woman dies giving birth. The toll is staggering: 530,000 pregnant women a year perish, 95% of them in developing countries. Remarkably, 80% of these maternal deaths are from five entirely preventable or treatable causes: sepsis, hemorrhage, eclampsia, obstructed labour, or as a consequence of a septic abortion.
For every death, dozens of women sustain life-altering and irreversible injuries. Many develop obstetric fistulae that leave them incontinent of urine and feces, and pariahs within their own developing-world communities.
In very poor countries, a mother’s demise is a virtual death sentence for many of her children. Those under a year old have an 80% chance of dying in childhood; and of those under five, more than half will not reach adulthood.
Although the solutions to deal with this catastrophe are well known, maternal health receives little attention and resources from international donors.
The Canadian government has just announced that maternal and child health will be on the agenda at this summer’s G8 Summit in Ontario. This is a welcome announcement, but the summit cannot be just another milquetoast, feel-good document. The leaders must announce a comprehensive International Action Plan to reduce childhood and maternal mortality.
More about maternal mortality in my previous posts.
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