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HEALTH: Maternal Deaths Drop, but Progress Still “Slow”

Marguerite A. Suozzi

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 15 2010 (IPS) - One day closer to an ever-approaching deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a Joint Action Plan to improve reproductive, maternal and newborn health on Wednesday, flanked by international leaders and development experts.

Of the eight MDGs to be achieved by 2015, efforts to decrease maternal mortality, and improve maternal health (Goal Five) have progressed the least since 2000, according to Ban, who launched the global initiative to focus international attention on the issue.

“We know women are the drivers of progress,” Ban said. “In the poorest societies of the world, it is women who care for the children. They grow the crops, hold societies together. Women deliver – and not just babies. And if we deliver for women, we can change the world for the better.”

The secretary-general called for efforts to increase women’s access to emergency care and qualified midwives, saying this alone would reduce maternal mortality rates by three-quarters.

But this means strengthening healthcare infrastructure, and finding better ways to engage development aid.

“It means coming up with new ways to engage communities, governments and international institutions,” said Ban. “It means bringing the newest technologies to even the most remote places. We need to be able to track progress, determine what works and what does not, and deliver sustainable and effective programmes.”

The Secretary-General was joined by President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, who stressed the need for the delivery of vaccines and life saving medicines for mothers and children in combating maternal and child mortality. “I think if we get the support of developed countries, I’m sure we should get on target with the objectives of MDGs Four and Five,” he said.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway underlined the good news that progress is being made in combating maternal and child mortality, saying child mortality has decreased by over one million children per year over the last three years, and that if accurate, new estimates published by the medical journal, Lancet suggest that maternal mortality rates are also decreasing worldwide. The news is not all rosy, however.

“The bad news is that we are not on track. The progress is too slow. There is a long way to go. And it is completely unacceptable that so many children and so many mothers die, because most of them die from easily preventable causes,” he said.

International Cooperation Minister of Canada Beverly Oda told reporters that as G8 president this year, “Canada is championing a major initiative to support developing countries in improving maternal and under-five child health.” Oda also expressed her hopes for the G8 Summit to take place this summer.

“Commitments made at the G8 Muskoka Summit in June 2010 can make a tangible difference and will be a key contribution to the U.N. secretary-general’s initiative,” she said.

Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), pointed out some of the characteristics of countries that report success in decreasing maternal mortality ratios, as a positive example to learn from.

“These countries often have a robust plan of action, with good indicators to measure the success of their investment,” in conjunction with a political leadership and civil society committed to improving maternal and child health, she said.

“They bring together all the resources available to invest in interventions that are proven cost-effective and they also bundle them together,” she said, citing Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMCTC) of HIV as an example.

“PMCTC is a perfect example where you bring together maternal, newborn and neonatal child health, as well as HIV and other modalities,” she said.

Leaders agreed that the ability to achieve better maternal health is tied to the success of achieving MDGs Four and Six – reducing child mortality and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases respectively. But they are goals leaders are confident can be achieved.

“This is something we must do. And this is something we can do,” said the secretary-general. “Millions of lives are at stake.”