Posts Tagged ‘UNFPA’

New Estimates Show Major Reduction in Maternal Mortality, But More Progress Needed

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 by KateMitch

New global maternal mortality estimates were released today in a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank. The report,“Trends in maternal mortality: 1990 to 2010”, shows that the number of women dying of pregnancy and childbirth related complications has almost halved in 20 years.  The estimates show that from 1990 to 2010, the annual number of maternal deaths has dropped from more than 543,000 to 287,000–and that a number of countries have already reached the MDG target of 75 per cent reduction in maternal death.

 

Major highlights from the report:

• In 2010, the global maternal mortality ratio was 210 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest maternal mortality ratio at 500 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.

 

• In sub-Saharan Africa, a woman faces a 1 in 39 lifetime risk of dying due to pregnancy or childbirth-related complications. In South-eastern Asia the risk is 1 in 290 and in developed countries, it is 1 in 3,800.

 

• Ten countries have 60 per cent of the global maternal deaths: India (56,000), Nigeria (40,000), Democratic Republic of the Congo (15,000), Pakistan (12,000), Sudan (10,000), Indonesia (9,600), Ethiopia (9,000), United Republic of Tanzania (8,500), Bangladesh (7,200) and Afghanistan (6,400).

 

• Ten countries have already reached the MDG target of a 75 per cent reduction in maternal death: Belarus, Bhutan, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Iran, Lithuania, Maldives, Nepal, Romania and Viet Nam.

 

Read the full press release here.

 

Read the full report here.

 

Join the conversation on Twitter at hashtag: #motherhood #MMR2012

 

Over the past few years, the global health community has witnessed and contributed to the publication of more frequent and more technically advanced estimates for maternal mortality than ever before. This report adds to the growing body of evidence that is helping the maternal health community to measure and better understand the scope and trends of the problem. It is an exciting time in the field–and we encourage you to read the new report.

 

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10 Reasons to Celebrate the Health of Moms—and Those Working to Improve Maternal Health—this Mother’s Day!

Friday, May 11th, 2012 by KateMitch

Mother’s Day 2012 provides a good occasion to celebrate accomplishments in the field over the past year. The Maternal Health Task Force shares ten exciting developments.

 

 

  1. The State of the World’s Midwives report provided the first comprehensive analysis of midwifery services in countries where the needs are greatest.
  2. The MHTF & PLoS launched an open-access collection on quality of maternal health care.
  3. UNICEF & UNFPA launched the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities, to increase access to maternal, child, and newborn health commodities.
  4. Joyce Banda, an advocate for women’s health & rights, became Malawi’s first female president.
  5. The White Ribbon Alliance, along with many partners, developed the Respectful Maternity Care Charter: The Universal Rights of Childbearing Women.
  6. Direct Relief International, Fistula Foundation, & UNFPA partnered to develop the first-ever Global Fistula Map, outlining the global landscape of the issue.
  7. The first-ever estimates of preterm birth rates by country were published in a new report, Born Too Soon: A Global Action Report on Preterm Birth.
  8. Save the Children’s 13th State of the World’s Mothers report focused on nutrition during the period from pregnancy through the child’s 2nd birthday, the first 1,000 days
  9. The World Health Organization added Misoprostol to the List of Essential Medicines, a critical step toward preventing post-partum hemorrhage.
  10. Melinda Gates announced plans to help raise $4 billion to dramatically increase access to family planning around the world by 2020.

 

Please add to the list in the comments!

 

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Ten Resources for Addressing Malaria in Pregnancy

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 by KateMitch

 

Today is World Malaria Day! The theme for this year’s World Malaria Day is “Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria.”

 

A recent report from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation showed that deaths from malaria are declining, but the report also showed that malaria deaths among adults have been enormously under-reported.

 

The number of pregnant women dying from malaria is also largely under-reported. Malaria prevention, screening, and treatment among pregnant women remains low, despite clear evidence of effective interventions.

 

Recently, the issue of malaria in pregnancy has been garnering more attention by the global public health and development communities. Experts are exploring ways to integrate care and reach pregnant women with prevention, screening, and treatment efforts.

 

In fact, a recent meeting in Rwanda, organized by Roll Back Malaria, gathered malaria and reproductive health experts to discuss progress and challenges in addressing malaria among pregnant women in seven high burden countries.

 

In honor of World Malaria Day, the Maternal Health Task Force shares with you ten essential resources for addressing malaria among pregnant women.

 

1.) Global Health e-Learning Center—Course on Malaria (with a section on malaria in pregnancy)
The Global Health eLearning Center was developed by the USAID Bureau of Global Health in response to requests from field staff for access to technical public health information. The course on malaria provides basic knowledge about the burden of malaria, the effective tools to treat and prevent malaria, and the challenges and opportunities for scaling up efforts. The malaria course has a specific section focused on understanding malaria in pregnancy.

 

Twitter: @USAID

 

2.) Malaria Journal
Malaria Journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal focused exclusively on malaria. All articles published by Malaria Journal are open-access—freely accessible online without subscription charges or registration barriers.  By entering “malaria in pregnancy” into the search box, you find numerous articles relating to the issue.

 

Twitter: @BioMedCentral

 

3.) Malaria Matters Blog—Malaria in Pregnancy section
Bill Brieger is currently a Professor in the Health Systems Program of the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins University as well as the Senior Malaria Adviser for JHPIEGO. His blog, Malaria Matters, provides regular updates on news, research, and stories from the field relating to malaria. By clicking on the Malaria in Pregnancy category on the blog, you will find numerous posts about recent challenges and successes in preventing, treating, and tracking malaria among pregnant women.

 

Twitter: @bbbrieger

 

4.) Malaria in Pregnancy Consortium—Tools and Links section of the site
The MiP Consortium is an initiative focused around four key areas of malaria in pregnancy: prevention, treatment, burden assessment, and how best to scale up existing strategies and interventions. The Consortium is made up of expert organizations from all over the world—including the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Fundaçao Tropical do Amazonas, and others.

 

The Tools and Links section of the site is packed with links to organizations, coalitions, resources, and toolkits focused specifically on the issue of malaria in pregnancy.

 

5.) The Malaria in Pregnancy Library
The Malaria in Pregnancy (MiP) Library is a regularly updated database of published and unpublished literature relating specifically to malaria in pregnancy. The library also includes a trial registry of planned and ongoing studies relating to malaria in pregnancy. The library is a project of the Malaria in Pregnancy Consortium and aims to serve scientists, policy makers, funding agencies, and others working to address malaria among pregnant women.

 

6.) Malaria in Pregnancy Resource Package
JHPIEGO’s Malaria in Pregnancy resource package provides training resources, programming resources, and reference materials to guide the implementation of programs to reduce malaria in pregnancy. The resource package was designed for policymakers, public health professionals, and managers.

 

Twitter:  @Jhpiego

 

7.) Malaria in Pregnancy Working Group Toolkit
Roll Back Malaria’s Malaria in Pregnancy Working Group (MPWG) meets regularly to develop strategic advice on best practices for scaling up interventions for the prevention and control of malaria during pregnancy.  The group also works to foster collaboration between malaria and reproductive health partners at the country level.

 

The working group’s toolkit on malaria in pregnancy includes documents by numerous partners including UNICEF, the World Bank, WHO, UNFPA, Roll Back Malaria, DFID, PSI, USAID, and others.

 

Twitter: @RollBackMalaria

 

8.) The President’s Malaria Initiative—Technical Areas section of the site
The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is a five-year, $1.2 billion expansion of U.S. Government resources aimed at reducing malaria-related deaths in 19 countries in Africa and the Greater Mekong sub-region in Asia. The project focuses on the most vulnerable populations: pregnant women and children under five years of age.

 

The Technical Areas section of the PMI site provides resources for several technical areas relating to malaria in pregnancy—including indoor residual spraying, insecticide treated nets, diagnosis and treatment, social mobilization, monitoring and evaluation, and pesticide management.

 

9.) Rapid Assessment of the Burden of Malaria during Pregnancy: A Toolkit
CDC’s Rapid Assessment Toolkit is designed to help countries to assess the burden of malaria during pregnancy, develop a policy or program, and to evaluate impact. The toolkit provides most of the materials needed to conduct a rapid assessment including general guidance about planning and conducting a rapid assessment and sample assessment instruments.

 

Twitter: @CDCGlobal

 

10.) Successes and Challenges for Malaria in Pregnancy Programming: A Three-Country Analysis
MCHIP’s analysis of malaria in pregnancy programming successes and challenges in Zambia, Senegal and Malawi resulted in three comprehensive country case studies. The case studies aim to highlight best practices and successful strategies that can be applied to other malaria-endemic countries throughout Africa.

 

Twitter: @mchipnet

 

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A Closer Look at Lifesaving Maternal Health Medicines

Friday, March 23rd, 2012 by KateMitch

Written by Rachel Wilson,  the senior director of policy and advocacy at PATH and co-chair of the Maternal Health Supplies Working Group

 

Today could be the beginning of a significant, life-saving shift for maternal health. The United Nations Children’s Fund  and the United Nations Population Fund launched a high-level commission to improve access to essential but overlooked health supplies, including medicines that could save the lives of millions of women.

 

Worldwide, an estimated 350,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth every year. Most maternal deaths can be prevented with affordable and effective medicines, such as oxytocin, misoprostol, and magnesium sulfate. Together with skilled health workers and strong health systems, these medicines can transform women’s health in developing countries.

 

 

“The day of birth is the most dangerous day in the life of a woman and her child,” stated commission co-chair Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway in today’s announcement. “The fact that women do not get the care they need during childbirth is the most brutal expression of discrimination against women. To prevent these tragic and unnecessary deaths is not only a humanitarian urgency of highest priority, but a key investment for social and economic development.”

 

We know what the main barriers and gaps are, including weak logistics and supply chains, inadequate regulatory capacity to protect people from sub-standard or counterfeit medicines, lack of affordable medicines, and confusion about how, why, and when to use them. And we know from other health areas that it is possible to overcome these challenges in even the poorest and most isolated communities. Solving these systemic and structural problems now will help countries strengthen and provide critical obstetric health services well into the future.

 

“There is no doubt that lives can be saved by increasing access to affordable and effective medicines and health supplies. We must all make a difference and the time is now,” said commission co-chair President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria.

 

With technical and political leadership, the commission can contribute significantly to improving women’s health worldwide by:

  • Quantifying the unmet need for maternal health medicines so manufacturers can adequately scale up to meet that need and cost estimates to achieve universal coverage can be calculated.
  • Identifying global and national level expenditures for maternal health medicines so any gaps between necessary and actual funding levels can be determined and filled.
  • Exploring bulk purchasing mechanisms so that prices remain low while at the same time creating more attractive markets for manufacturers.
  • Decreasing the prevalence of substandard medicines.
  • Improving national regulatory capacity to ensure that only quality medicines are available and that new medicines can effectively enter the market.
  • Promoting the national registration of essential maternal health medicines as identified by the World Health Organization.
  • Supporting new product development and delivery innovations.
  • Strengthening management information systems to ensure medicine availability and avoid stockouts but not too far in advance to risk expiration.
  • Monitoring policy implementation so gaps may be addressed.
  • Improving knowledge and skills of health care providers and supply chain managers.
  • Building the evidence base and human resource capacity for administration of maternal health medicines by lower-level workers so that women may receive appropriate care when delivering in their community.

 

With a concentrated and continued focus on high-impact health supplies, the commission’s work could make unprecedented leaps toward the Every Woman Every Child movement’s goal to save 16 million lives by 2015.

 

To learn more about the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children, visit http://www.everywomaneverychild.org/resources/un-commission-on-life-saving-commodities.

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The Global Fistula Map: A Major Step Forward in Understanding the Global Landscape of Obstetric Fistula

Thursday, March 1st, 2012 by admin

Direct Relief International, Fistula Foundation, and UNFPA have teamed up to develop the first-ever global map of available services for women living with obstetric fistula, creating a robust visual representation of the current global capacity to treat obstetric fistula.  The mapping of these services is a major step forward in understanding the global landscape of the condition and will hopefully help to inform and streamline the allocation of resources as well as raise awareness of the health needs of women living fistula.

 

 

From our colleagues at Direct Relief International, Fistula Foundation, and UNFPA:

 

“Tragically, there are unacceptably high numbers of fistula cases, yet we see from the map data gathered so far that treatment currently only reaches a fraction of patients annually-an estimated 14,000 women in 2010-not counting the significant backlog of cases,” said Gillian Slinger, the UNFPA Coordinator of the Campaign to End Fistula. ”Documenting where treatment is available is critical to providing care, raising resources and restoring the health and dignity of women and girls living with fistula. If we know where service gaps are, we can then better steer activities forward, to get help to all those who need it.”

 

The Global Fistula Map is an evolving collaborative effort that was developed by Direct Relief and can be found at www.globalfistulamap.org.  It highlights over 150 health facilities providing fistula repair in 40 countries across Africa, South East Asia, and the Middle East. While availability of surgical treatment for obstetric fistula is growing, the current capacity of most facilities is low. Over half of reporting facilities treated less than 50 patients in 2010, while only 5 facilities worldwide reported treating more than 500 women. It is anticipated that the map will improve coordination, and enhance fistula prevention and treatment efforts worldwide…”

 

Read the full press release here.

 

Explore and share the Global Fistula Map.

 

The Global Fistula Map is a joint project by Direct Relief International, the Fistula Foundation and UNFPA, with data also contributed by EngenderHealth, WAHA International, and the International Society of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons.

 

More information about obstetric fistula:

 

Take a look at Five Things to Know about Obstetric Fistula from Direct Relief International.

 

Check out Fast Facts and FAQs from the Fistula Foundation.

 

Browse EngenderHealth’s Fistula Care Virtual Resource Center.

 

Explore a variety of technical resources from the Campaign to End Fistula.

 

Visit WAHA International’s blog to learn more about their work on fistula.

 

Check out the MHTF’s coverage of news relating to fistula.

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Field Experience in Maternal Health: Elena Chopyak Shares her Experience with Medic Mobile in Mali

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 by ablanc

Over the first three weeks of January, several Harvard School of Public Health graduate students took part in the Field Experience in Maternal Health winter session, organized by the Women and Health Initiative and the Maternal Health Task Force. In this blog post, Elena Chopyak writes about her field experience with Medic Mobile in Mali.


Written by: Elena Chopyak


It is widely known that the maternal mortality rate in Mali is grossly underestimated. However, current data collection methods fail to capture true mortality rates, especially in rural areas of the country. An mhealth project between the Malian Ministry of Health, UNFPA, L’Agence Nationale de Télésanté et d’Informatique Médicale (ANTIM), and Medic Mobile aims to collect more accurate data to better inform future initiatives targeting maternal deaths.


Thanks to support from ANTIM, I visited a number of pilot sites in Koulikoro and Segou with Ibrahim Kante, an ANTIM technician, and Hammadou Dia, a medical ANTIM intern. Our goal was to hear administrative and community health workers’ (CHW) experiences with the pilot to date so that their input can be incorporated into the project as it is scaled-up nationally.


In a roundtable discussion in the town of Bla, Dia and I posed questions about some of the preliminary advantages and challenges health administrators have encountered in their use of the mobile phones.

In a roundtable discussion in the town of Bla, Dia and I posed questions about some of the preliminary advantages and challenges health administrators have encountered in their use of the mobile phones.




Dia and I spoke to representatives from various districts and communities about the former/current demographic collection system, the shortcomings, and general aspirations for the mobile project. We also asked the CHWs involved in the pilot to share their experiences with the phones, including challenges they have had, if any, and their reflections on the training they received.


Despite some technical hiccups, unexpected advantages of the project are rapidly becoming apparent. Thanks to unlimited calling, CHWs and medical and administrative staff report that they communicate more frequently about villagers’ medical needs and concerns. A review of the data collected at the end of the month, and again at the end of each month of the three-month pilot phase will provide a clearer picture of the health of the project.


Even though the pilot phase is in its early stages, CHWs and administrators hope that the project will continue and will expand to include a wide range of health data collection.


When I wasn’t in the ANTIM office or visiting the pilot sites, I had the opportunity to enjoy some of the great live music Bamako has to offer. Serendipitously, I bumped into Habib Koité, one of my favorite Malian musicians, at the Centre Culturel francais de Bamako!

When I wasn’t in the ANTIM office or visiting the pilot sites, I had the opportunity to enjoy some of the great live music Bamako has to offer. Serendipitously, I bumped into Habib Koité, one of my favorite Malian musicians, at the Centre Culturel francais de Bamako!




To learn more about the Field Experience in Maternal Health winter session course, visit the course page here or check out a recent blog post about the course here.


Click here to learn about Medic Mobile’s work, supported by the MHTF, to develop three mobile tools for maternal health.


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A Population of 7 Billion

Friday, October 28th, 2011 by Christopher Lindahl

On Monday, October 31, the world’s population will reach and surpass seven billion. By some estimates, the population will be over 10 billion by the end of the century. This year’s State of the World’s Population from UNFPA addresses the needs of a growing population:

This year’s State of World Population report, People and Possibilities in a World of 7 Billion, looks at the the dynamics behind the numbers. It explains the trends that are defining our world of 7 billion and documents actions that people in vastly different countries and circumstances are taking in their own communities to make the most of their–and our–world.

 

The report makes the case for sound planning and investing in people.

 

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) is also marking the milestone by ensuring that families have access to family planning methods and that women have control over their bodies:

The lack of choice women and girls have over their own lives and bodies is a major cause of poverty and contributes to rapid population growth.

 

For the millions of girls who are still children themselves, pregnancy means giving up school and the chance of an education that would allow them to support themselves and their families.

 

Today, 215 million women who would like to delay or avoid having children are unable to do so. Globally meeting this need for family planning could avoid around a third of maternal deaths and a fifth of newborn deaths, and save an estimated $5.1 billion dollars.

 

Over the next four years, British aid is changing lives by making it possible for at least 10 million more women to use modern methods of family planning so that they can decide for themselves whether, when and how many children to have.

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Maternal Health in Kenya

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 by Christopher Lindahl

Yesterday, the MHTF, along with the Woodrow Wilson Center, UNFPA and the African Population and Health Research Center, held a dialogue on maternal health in Kenya that featured a discussion between experts in Washington and Nairobi. Prior to the event, workshops were held in Nairobi to develop strategies and recommendations for promoting maternal health in Kenya.

 

The discussion covered a number of topics, including the differences between urban and rural settings, the role of traditional birth attendants, Kenya’s future demographics, the role of the private sector, and many other topics.

 

The availability of data is increasing, but there continue to be areas where more research is needed that focuses specifically on maternal health issues. For example, some of the DHS questionnaires provide data on whether or not mothers use of health facilities, but are not necessarily able to determine why facilities are used or not used. Knowing why mothers do not use health facilities (inability to pay, cultural reasons, lack of transport, etc.) is crucial to develop proper interventions to improve the chances that childbirth is safe.

 

Given the variety of topics that were discussed, be sure to check back later for a full summary and recording of the event that will be available soon on the Wilson Center website. A briefing paper (DOC) is also available from APHRC.

 

While thinking about data and evidence it Kenya, it is appropriate to note that the Kenyan government recently launched a new website:

This site makes public government data accessible to the people of Kenya. High quality national census data, government expenditure, parliamentary proceedings and public service locations are just a taste of what’s to come. There’s something for everyone: maps to start exploring, interactive charts and tables for a deeper understanding, and raw data for technical users to build their own apps and analyses. Our information is a national asset, and it’s time it was shared: this data is key to improving transparency; unlocking social and economic value; and building Government 2.0 in Kenya.

 

Although Kenya’s critics are concerned about corruption and may not be impressed by the release of the data, Johannes Zutt, of the World Bank, is optimistic:

 

It’s true that the same old crowd is in control, that corruption remains Kenya’s biggest problem, and that some government officials continue to betray the trust of the citizens. But it is different today. The people have spoken. They enacted a new constitution. They are demanding accountability, and they are getting it. Ten years from now, Kenya will be a different and better place.

 

This morning, you can watch a webcast discussion of the launch of the site.

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Maternal Health Challenges in Kenya: What New Research Evidence Shows

Monday, July 11th, 2011 by Christopher Lindahl

 

The Woodrow Wilson Center’s Global Health Initiative, Africa Program, and Environmental Change and Security Program, in coordination with the Maternal Health Task Force, UNFPA, and the African Population Health & Research Center invite you to a live-streamed discussion of:

 

Maternal Health Challenges in Kenya: What Research Evidence Shows
Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m (Note new start time)
Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington DC
6th Floor Flom Auditorium
A light breakfast will be served
Please RSVP to globalhealth@wilsoncenter.org with your name and affiliation

 

The discussion will feature a live videoconference from Nairobi with:

 

Lawrence Ikamari, Director, Population Studies & Research Institute (PSRI)
Dr. Margaret Meme, MD, Former Head of Maternal and Child Health,
Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (Kenya)
Geoffrey Mumia Osaaji, Professor, University of Nairobi
Additional panelists include 20+ participants from the in-country workshop

 

The Wilson Center’s Global Health Initiative is traveling to Nairobi to co-host a two-day workshop on July 12-13 with Kenyan policymakers, community health workers, program managers, media, and donors who will discuss Kenya’s maternal health challenges and identify solutions for moving the maternal health agenda forward.

 

Geoffrey Mumia Osaaji, professor, University of Nairobi, will present new maternal health data and discuss Kenya’s maternal mortality trends. Lawrence Ikamari, Director, PSRI, will share the knowledge and capacity gaps identified by workshop participants and highlight policies and funding priorities required to increase the uptake of antenatal and postnatal care in Kenya. Strategies and recommendations identified during the Nairobi workshop will be provided by Dr. Margaret Meme, former head of maternal and child health, Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation.

 

About the 2011 Maternal Health Policy Series
As one of the few forums dedicated to maternal health, the Woodrow Wilson Center’s 2011 Advancing Policy Dialogue on Maternal Health series brings together senior-level policymakers, academic researchers, media, and civil servants from the U.S. government and foreign consuls to identify challenges and discuss strategies for advancing the maternal health agenda.

 

In order to promote greater voices from the field, the 2011 dialogue is partnering with the African Population Health Research Center in Kenya to co-host a two-part dialogue series with local, regional, and national decision-makers on effective maternal health policies and programs. These in-country dialogue meetings will create a platform for field workers, policymakers, program managers, media, and donors to share research, disseminate lessons learned, and address concerns related to policy, institutional, and organizational capacity building.

 

The Wilson Center’s Global Health Initiative is pleased to present this series with its co-conveners, the Maternal Health Task Force and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and is grateful to USAID’s Bureau for Global Health for further technical assistance.

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UNFPA releases The State of the World’s Midwifery Report

Monday, June 20th, 2011 by Christopher Lindahl

Earlier today, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released “The State of the World’s Midwifery 2011: Delivering Health, Saving Lives.” In addition to the formal report, UNFPA has included interactive tools, data, country profiles and stories from the field for people to learn more about midwifery.

 

From UNFPA:

Increasing women’s access to quality midwifery has become a focus of global efforts to realize the right of every woman to the best possible health care during pregnancy and childbirth. A first step is assessing the situation.

 

The State of World’s Midwifery 2011: Delivering Health, Saving Lives, supported by 30 partners, provides the first comprehensive analysis of midwifery services and issues in countries where the needs are greatest.

 

The report provides new information and data gathered from 58 countries in all regions of the world. Its analysis confirms that the world lacks some 350,000 skilled midwives — 112,000 in the neediest 38 countries surveyed — to fully meet the needs of women around the world. The report explores a range of issues related to building up this key health workforce.

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