WASHINGTON, CMC – The Director of the Pan American Well being Group (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, has issued an pressing name to motion to scale back maternal mortality within the Americas, together with the Caribbean.
In line with PAHO, in 2020, Latin America and the Caribbean skilled one maternal demise each hour, reversing twenty years of progress in maternal well being indicators within the area.
“These figures not solely point out a worsening of outcomes but additionally a deepening of inequalities and depict unacceptable tragedies that usually may very well be preventable,” mentioned Dr. Barbosa in addressing a PAHO seminar on “Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths.”
“The variety of deaths amongst pregnant ladies doesn’t align with the extent of improvement of this area,” he added, emphasizing the pressing must deal with this discrepancy.
PAHO mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered the vulnerabilities of the area’s well being infrastructures, exacerbating inequalities in entry to well being providers, with a specific influence on ladies.
The maternal mortality ratio elevated by 15 p.c between 2016 and 2020, PAHO mentioned.
Nonetheless, even earlier than the pandemic, it mentioned the maternal mortality ratio within the Americas confirmed indicators of stagnation, driving the area away from reaching set targets and commitments, such because the Sustainable Improvement Targets and the Sustainable Well being Agenda for the Americas.
In line with PAHO’s Primary Well being Indicators, up to date in 2023, over 90 p.c of ladies obtain a minimum of 4 prenatal visits; about 97 p.c of births happen in well being amenities, and over 96 p.c are attended by certified personnel.
Moreover, PAHO mentioned protection of sexual and reproductive well being providers exceeds 80 p.c.
“We have to look at why this funding doesn’t translate into higher outcomes,” mentioned Dr. Barbosa, stating that a number of elements affect maternal mortality, together with socioeconomic, cultural, academic, and environmental elements.
To handle these challenges, Barbosa urged the implementation of methods that embrace interventions to handle conditions of vulnerability and “gender norms and roles.”
“The well being sector have to be a transformative agent for change,” mentioned Barbosa, highlighting that 9 out of 10 maternal deaths may very well be averted by way of common entry to high quality maternal care and trendy contraceptive strategies, amongst different assets.
“Increasing well being techniques based mostly on main well being care to make sure common well being entry and protection may very well be the crucial consider lowering maternal mortality within the area,” he added.
PAHO mentioned its Technique to Speed up the Discount of Maternal Mortality offers an motion framework with complementary and built-in actions that may be tailored to every nation and context.
Barbosa known as on international locations to prioritize this difficulty and decide to implementing the technique, focusing motion on the native stage, particularly for girls dwelling in essentially the most weak circumstances.
“Our international locations should present the mandatory assets for motion, mobilizing all sectors, together with academia, civil society, and essentially the most impacted communities,” the PAHO director added.
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