30/3/2007
Malawi: First African  Programme To Tackle Maternal Mortality

In Malawi, where 16 women die every day giving birth or during pregnancy, this week,  the Government  kicked off a United Nations-backed campaign to combat maternal and infant death. The new scheme, called the Road Map, is the first to be initiated among African countries, and it provides strategies to ensure that women undergo pregnancy, childbirth and post-delivery safely and also that their children are alive and healthy.

The plan, developed with assistance from UNFPA, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), includes access to contraception to avoid unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions; skilled assistance at births; and timely high-quality emergency obstetric and infant care.

The south-eastern African country has one of the highest levels of maternal deaths in the world. According to 2004 statistics, the maternal mortality rate is 984 out of every 100,000 live births, or 6,000 maternal deaths every year.

The Road Map, which has already been put into practice in some areas as part of a pilot programme, underscores the importance of community empowerment to reduce maternal and infant deaths.

The plan’s implementation aims to help Malawi to fulfil the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – a set of targets adopted at a 2000 UN Summit – that relate to reducing child mortality and improving maternal health by 2015.

The UN and its partners will continue to support Malawi’s Government and other African countries as they develop national Road Maps to reduce maternal and infant death.