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Technical Areas
Working
on MDG
5
Area of Family and Community Health
more>>
Women & Maternal Health Unit
more>>
Dr.
Virginia Camacho
Project Manager
Latin American Center for Perinatology & Human
Development
more>>
Maternal Health
Maternal and child
health are priorities in the current strategic plans for PAHO which include programs such as supporting countries in
expanding their capacity in the provision and use of selected
interventions in
Essential Obstetric and Neonatal Care Services (EONC).
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Making Pregnancy Safer
PAHO is commitment to
improving maternal and child health in the Americas.
The adoption of the global strategy Making Pregnancy Safer
is expected to further accelerate the reduction of maternal and
neonatal mortality and morbidity through improvement of the quality,
availability, accessibility and utilization of essential services.
more>>
Contraceptive Security
Is a crucial issue and PAHO has supported regional strategies and
maternal and child health collaborative activities by trying to
strengthen partnerships and coordinate efforts with other
collaborating agencies and NGOs. The regional strategic
framework of maternal and neonatal health among others aims to achieve contraceptive security
and assess the
implications of incorporating contraceptives into the essential drugs
and supplies SF package.
Collaborative Partnership
for Nursing and Midwifery
During the fall 1997, a
collaborative partnership for nursing and midwifery development was
created by PAHO. The long term goals of this partnership include keeping with
WHO resolutions on Safe Motherhood, nursing and midwifery and
the PAHO regional plan of work. It aims
to improve the health status of women and families in Latin America
and the Caribbean by strengthening nursing and midwifery
more>>
The Regional
Inter-Agency
Task Force (RTF)
for
Maternal Mortality
Reduction
Led by PAHO
as the technical secretariat, includes UNFPA, UNICEF, USAID, the
Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the Population
Council, and Family Care International. The main objective of RTF is
to advance the agenda of maternal mortality reduction, generate
consensus on maternal mortality reduction strategies, share lessons
learned at the regional and country levels, optimize financial and
technical resources at the country level, and support countries in
their efforts to reduce maternal mortality.
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Regional Situation Analysis
Target 6 The available
estimates indicate that this ratio has held steady at about 190 deaths per
100,000 births in Latin America and the Caribbean during the past decade.
Because the total number of births has not changed significantly since then,
the number of women dying from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth in
the region is estimated to have remained at about 22,000 a year. Although
the figures are imprecise, the virtual lack of change in maternal mortality
rates and the absolute number of such deaths in Latin America and the
Caribbean over the past decade should be a cause for concern, since this is
by no means a positive signal with regard to progress towards the target of
a three-quarters reduction by 2015. Renewed efforts are needed, therefore,
if the region is to approach this target.
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MDG 5 |
IMPROVE
MATERNAL HEALTH |
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Health targets |
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Health
Indicators |
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Target
6*
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Reduce by
three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio
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16.
17.
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Maternal mortality ratio
Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel
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* target directly
related to health
Large differences
exist among the countries of the region and the substantial progress
that many of them may be expected to make. Only a small group of
countries (Uruguay, Chile, Cuba, Saint Lucia, Argentina, Brazil and
Costa Rica) have levels below 50 deaths per 100,000 births. Rates in the
remainder range from 60 to a high of 520 maternal deaths per 100,000
live births in Haiti.
One of the factors most
closely and universally associated with maternal morbidity and mortality is
whether or not childbirth is attended by skilled health personnel, since
such personnel can forestall complications and provide referrals to other
services, such as family planning and treatment for sexually transmitted
diseases. Among the major regions of the world, Latin America’s figure of
82% of births attended by skilled personnel once again compares quite
favorably with the figures for other less developed regions (Africa with
46% and Asia with 62%), but is below the 99% recorded for the more developed
countries of Europe and North America.
Another aspect is the existence of disparities
within countries. For instance, surveys have revealed that women living in
the countryside are less likely to be attended by skilled personnel when
they give birth than women in cities. Policies to reduce maternal mortality
should address these differences.
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