Tapping into the Resources of Skilled Birth Attendants in Reducing the Maternal Mortality Rates in Developing Nations

Abstract

Ensuring optimal maternal health has been identified as one of the most important global public health priorities for many decades.[1] Nevertheless, even today, in excess of 800 women lose their lives each day across the globe from avoidable factors related to pregnancy and childbirth, of which 99% are reported in developing nations. This is an alarming concern, and remains a major challenge which the program managers need to respond to despite the estimated 44% reduction achieved under the Millennium Development Goals. In addition, because maternal and newborn health is closely linked, with almost 2.7 million newborn deaths being reported annually, presence of skilled care before, during, and after childbirth is one of the most cost‑effective interventions to save lives of millions of women and newborns. Ensuring the presence of skilled personnel (doctor or nurse or midwives or trained birth attendants) during childbirth is the need of the hour because even now almost 49% of the women remain unattended during childbirth. Further, it has been observed that only 4 out of 10 pregnant women from low‑income nations receive the recommended four antenatal visits (absence of skilled workers), in contrast to the women from high‑income nations, where it is the general norm (constant presence of skilled workers)