2 weeks Ago By Qatar Tribune
Qatar tribune Lani Rose R Dizon Doha Pregnancy or childbirth-related complications have led to the death of a woman roughly every two minutes in 2023, which corresponds to an estimated 260,000 women globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said in its report recently. It added that more than 2 million children die in their first month of life, while the number of stillborn infants is estimated to be around 2 million as well. The report also noted that maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023 had declined by 40% globally, largely due to improved access to essential health services.
However, it warned that the pace of improvement had slowed significantly since 2016. It may be noted that one of the UN’s sustainable development goals is to reduce maternal mortality from 328 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to less than 70 by 2030. But achieving this was an unprecedented challenge, according to global health leaders.
The WHO added that 4 out of 5 countries are off track to meet targets for improving maternal survival by 2030. And 1 in 3 will fail to meet targets for reducing newborn deaths. In Qatar, health officials reiterated that statistics from 2023 show that there were no maternal deaths during childbirth recorded in the country.
Maternal and newborn health is a key priority in the National Health Strategy 2024-2030, which includes two major initiatives: ‘Reproductive Health’ and ‘Healthy Children and Adolescents’. In parallel to the WHO campaign ‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures’ at the recent World Health Day celebrations, the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has launched a month-long campaign in April under the slogan ‘A Woman’s Health Reflects her Family’s Health’ Both campaigns seek to intensify efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths and prioritise women’s long-term health and well-being, in addition to raising awareness about the services available to women. The PHCC serves as the first point of contact for pregnant women and newborns in Qatar, and provides access to care through its health centres before, during, and after pregnancy.
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