NEW DELHI: India tops the list of 10 countries that account for 60 per cent of global maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn deaths, according to a report. It further noted that India accounts for 51 per cent of the world’s live births.
India is followed by Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Afghanistan and Tanzania, said a report by WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA. Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia are the regions experiencing the largest number of deaths.
“The latest published estimates show there were a combined 4.5 million deaths: maternal deaths (0.29 million), stillbirths (1.9 million) and newborn deaths (2.3 million) in 2020-2021,” the report said. India saw 7,88,000 maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths in 2020. The country accounted for 17 per cent of global live births, which could be a factor in many maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
In the worst-affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia – the regions with the greatest burden of newborn and maternal deaths – fewer than 60 per cent of women receive even four of WHO’s recommended eight antenatal checks, the report said. The 10 ‘fragile countries’ alone account for 659,000 global maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths (14 per cent of the worldwide total).
The report said global progress in reducing deaths of pregnant women, mothers and babies has flattened for eight years due to decreasing investments in maternal and newborn health. The report shows that over 4.5 million women and babies die every year during pregnancy, childbirth or the first weeks after birth - equivalent to 1 death happening every 7 seconds - mostly from preventable or treatable causes if proper care was available.
“Pregnant women and newborns continue to die at unacceptably high rates worldwide, and the COVID-19 pandemic has created further setbacks to providing them with the healthcare they need,” said Dr Anshu Banerjee, Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at the WHO.