Clinics in Mother and Child Health

Commentary on Maternal Health During Pregnancy

Ievgeniia Paula^* Department of Gynaecology and Obstretics, Bogomolets Medical University, Kiev, Ukraine
^*Correspondence: Ievgeniia Paula, Department of Gynaecology and Obstretics, Bogomolets Medical University, Kiev, Ukraine, Email:

Received: 03-Dec-2021 Published: 24-Dec-2021

Study Description

Women's health throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period is referred to as maternal health. Each stage should be a positive one, allowing women and their newborns to realise their full health and well-being potential. Despite significant advances over the last two decades, around 295 000 women died during and after pregnancy and childbirth in 2017. This is an excessively high figure. Excessive blood loss, infection, high blood pressure, unsafe abortion, and obstructed labour are the most prevalent direct causes of maternal injury and death, as well as indirect factors such anaemia, malaria, and heart disease. The majority of maternal deaths can be avoided if they are managed promptly by a qualified health worker in a supportive setting.

Ending avoidable maternal death must remain a high priority for the international community. Simultaneously, simply surviving pregnancy and childbirth cannot be considered a sign of good mother health care. To increase mother health and well-being, initiatives to reduce maternal injury and impairment must be expanded. Every pregnancy and delivery is different. To ensure that all women have access to respectful and high-quality maternity care, it is critical to address inequities that affect health outcomes, particularly in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as gender.

Impact on present world

Every year, around 140 million babies are born, with an increase in the number of births attended by qualified health staff, from 58 percent in 1990 to 81 percent in 2019. This is primarily due to the fact that a health centre sees a higher volume of births. Complications during pregnancy, labour, and the postnatal period have decreased by 38 percent in the last two decades, but improvement has been gradual, with an average reduction of just under 3% per year. It also conceals massive inequities both inside and between countries. In fragile and humanitarian circumstances, more than half of all maternal deaths occur. In 2017, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia bore the brunt of maternal mortality, accounting for 86 percent of the global total.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an opportunity for the international community to collaborate and accelerate progress toward improving maternal health for all women in all countries and under all conditions. SDG 3.1, which calls for a worldwide average of less than 70 deaths per 100 000 births by 2030, and SDG 3.8, which calls for universal health coverage, are both related to maternal health. These goals cannot be met unless everyone has access to reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health care.

WHO response

One of the WHO's top goals is improving maternal health, which is based on a human rights framework and connected to efforts to achieve universal health coverage. WHO promotes health planning that puts women's interests and desires at the centre of their treatment. Quality improvement projects require meaningful engagement and empowerment of women, families, communities, and providers. It's also important for promoting health throughout the entire pregnancy, labour, and postpartum period. This involves proper nutrition, disease detection and prevention, assuring access to sexual and reproductive health, and assisting women who are victims of intimate partner violence. WHO is in charge of keeping track of progress toward the worldwide aim of reducing maternal mortality (SDG target 3.1). To support the achievement of global targets and evidencebased policies for Eliminating Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) and increasing maternal health and well-being, WHO develops data, research, clinical guidelines, and programmatic tools? WHO assists Member States in putting measures in place to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality health care? Strong partnerships are essential, such as WHO and UNICEF's The network for improving quality of care form maternal, newborn, and child health.