This research emphasizes the need for significant acceleration of efforts to reach the global targets for decreasing maternal deaths in order to avoid endangering the lives of more than 1 million women by 2030.
To Begin With
According to a research titled “Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2020: estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and UNDESA/Population Division” released on Thursday, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes. In order to fulfil the worldwide targets for reducing maternal fatalities, the world must drastically speed up progress; otherwise, nearly one million more women’s lives could be at risk by 2030. This post is included with the facts on the significant matter of this period- Every 2 Minutes 1 Woman Dies During Pregnancy.
Research is saying
As per the aforementioned research, Nigeria had the largest estimated number of maternal deaths, with around 82,000 deaths, or over one-quarter (28.5%) of all expected maternal deaths worldwide in 2020.
According to the research, India was only second to Nigeria in terms of the percentage of maternal fatalities worldwide (8.3%).
“In 2020, more than 10,000 maternal deaths occurred in three other nations: India (24,000), the Democratic Republic.
The Congo (22,000) and Ethiopia (10,000), accounting for 8.3%, 7.5%, and 3.6% of all maternal deaths worldwide, respectively.”
The Previous Estimation
The previous estimates placed Nigeria and India as having the highest estimated rates of maternal mortality, with 67,000 and 35,000 maternal deaths (or 23% and 12% of worldwide maternal deaths, respectively) accounting for roughly one third (35%) of the expected global maternal deaths in 2017. As the director-general of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, “While pregnancy should be a time of great hope and a positive experience for all women, it is tragically still a shockingly dangerous experience for millions around the world who lack access to high quality, respectful health care” (WHO).
He continued, “These new numbers highlight the important need to guarantee that every woman and girl has access to essential health care before, during, and after childbirth, and that they can fully exercise their reproductive rights.” There were reportedly 287,000 maternal fatalities worldwide in 2020, according to a report that records maternal mortality on a national, regional, and international scale from 2000 to 2020. This represents a marginal decline from the 309,000 recorded in 2016, the year the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN went into force.
Some statistics
Although the research shows some notable improvement in lowering maternal fatalities between 2000 and 2015, it also emphasizes that after this time, advances mainly halted or in some cases even reversed.
The maternal death rate rose from 2016 to 2020 by 17% and 15%, respectively, in two of the eight United Nations areas, namely Europe and Northern America and Latin America and the Caribbean. In other regions, the rate remained constant. Yet, the paper acknowledges that advancement is feasible.
Wrapping up
According to the survey, around a third of women do not receive even four of the recommended eight antenatal checks or necessary postoperative treatment when it comes to postpartum care. Modern family planning methods are inaccessible to about 270 million women. Another issue that is crucial to ensuring that women have access to safe childbearing space is the lack of control over their own reproductive health. The study emphasizes the risks for marginalized pregnant women, who have the least access to necessary maternity care but are more likely to face underlying health issues during pregnancy, are further increased by inequities related to income, education, race, or ethnicity.
