Despite strides in maternal health progress, one mother still died every two minutes in 2023, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) release.
The United Nations (UN) published a Trends in maternal mortality report for World Health Day on April 7.
Overall, maternal deaths have significantly decreased globally. WHO attributes this progress to “improved access to essential health services.” However, this progress has waned. WHO warns that “humanitarian funding cuts are having severe impacts on essential healthcare in many parts of the world, forcing countries to roll back vital services for maternal, newborn and child health.” They call for immediate action to be taken to protect women globally and to reduce disparities. In countries facing humanitarian crises, maternal risk is higher. “For women in these settings, the risks are staggering: a 15-year-old girl faces a 1 in 51 risk of dying from a maternal cause at some point over her lifetime compared to 1 in 593 in more stable countries.”
Additionally, the UN report has “the first global account of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on maternal survival.” Due to disturbances from the pandemic, about 40,000 more women died from maternal complications in 2021.
