UNITED NATIONS — A significant decline in maternal mortality has been achieved globally, yet threats of regression loom as the world faces unprecedented aid cuts, a new United Nations report unveiled on World Health Day cautions. This report documents a 40% drop in maternal deaths worldwide from 2000 to 2023, largely credited to improved access to essential health services. However, the reduction rate has notably slowed since 2016, and an estimated 260,000 women still died in 2023 due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth.
The reduction in maternal deaths represents progress towards better health outcomes yet underscores a fragile achievement susceptible to current global financial strains. Health care sectors, especially in less affluent nations, face critical shortages as funding wanes, risking the reversal of gains made over decades. Essential maternal and newborn health services experience the brunt of these cuts, leading to closed health facilities and the loss of crucial health workers.
Moreover, disruptions in the supply chain affect the availability of critical medicines needed to treat conditions like hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia, primary causes of maternal fatalities. The report stresses the urgent need for reinforced health systems that ensure continuous care for pregnant women, particularly in regions where maternal mortality rates remain alarmingly high.
Such is the case in sub-Saharan Africa, which, despite substantial progress, still accounts for about 70% of global maternal deaths in 2023. This alarming statistic echoes in regions fraught with poverty and conflict, revealing a stark disparity in health equity.
The UN’s findings also delve into the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated the situation in 2021 by increasing maternal deaths to 322,000 from 282,000 the previous year. The pandemic’s disruption of healthcare services significantly hindered maternal care, illustrating the devastating effect health emergencies can have on vulnerable populations.
Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, expressed concern over the dual tragedy of losing mothers and babies to preventable conditions, exacerbated by the global cutback in health funding. “When a mother dies, the safety and likelihood of survival for her newborn plummet,” Russell said. She calls for an urgent global reassessment and bolstering of the workforce in midwifery and community health services to safeguard these lives.
Another pressing issue highlighted in the report concerns the stagnation in progress across several regions. Since 2015, maternal mortality rates have not improved in parts of Asia, Latin America, and even wealthier areas like Europe and North America.
The UN report paints a broader picture of not just health service needs but also emphasizes the broader determinants of health, such as education, access to family planning, and prevention of diseases like malaria and anemia that significantly impact maternal health outcomes. Efforts to keep girls in school and empower women with knowledge and resources are pivotal in securing healthier futures for mothers and children alike.
Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, underscored the importance of comprehensive health strategies. “Ensuring access to quality health services during pregnancy and childbirth is fundamental, but we must also improve overall health systems and address the social determinants that affect maternal outcomes,” she stated.
The report serves as a call to action, urging immediate investment to safeguard maternal health globally. Achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030 requires an annual reduction of approximately 15% in maternal deaths—a significantly higher target than the current rate of decline.
Produced by WHO on behalf of the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group, which includes WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank Group, and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, this report is foundational in understanding the scope of work still required to end preventable maternal deaths. The insights drawn from their comprehensive data collection covering 195 countries are pivotal in guiding future policies and interventions needed to ensure healthy beginnings and hopeful futures for mothers and babies alike.