Maternal Health

Today I remembered an announcement that the UN made six months ago. As part of the Millennial Development Goals, the global rate of maternal mortality has been reduced over the past 15 years (2000-2015). Over the next 15 years (2016-2030), one of the updated Sustainable Development Goals is to reduce the rate to 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (WHO).

Not surprisingly, developing countries have significantly higher maternal mortality compared to developed countries. The respective rates are 239 deaths per 100,000 births and 12 deaths per 100,000 births. The modern Sustainable Development Goal for maternal health confronts this disparity; no country is supposed to have a national rate that’s more than twice the global rate, which is targeted at 70 deaths per 100,000 births.

I appreciate the effort of people who are working for this cause, including non-profits like Every Mother Counts. Maternal and neonatal health is essential to the survival of humanity if you think about it, or if you’ve seen Children of Men.