The number of women who die as a result of giving birth is unacceptable

What can we really do about maternal mortality if we don’t invest in health care? A response to the 2016 Brindle Foundation executive director

The reduction since 2016 is a fraction of what was pledged by world leaders in the summer of 2016 to slash maternal mortality rates by more than a third.

He said this was all the more so given that the report doesn’t capture the likely further setbacks since 2020 resulting from the impacts of the COVID pandemic and current global economic slowdowns.

“That means that it is going to be more difficult for low income countries to invest in health care”, he said. He said that without more money and focus on building up primary health care, we are at risk of even further declines.

There was a goal set for the year 2016 and the executive director of the Brindle Foundation felt that it was possible. She says it no longer feels within reach.

There are many reasons mothers die during pregnancy or childbirth, ranging from heavy bleeding after childbirth to pre-eclampsia and complications from unsafe abortions or infections. The level of care mothers receive as well as their income, race, and ethnicity affect their risk of death.

The role of the COVID-19 pandemic in keeping the world from falling apart: an analysis of Wegner’s frustration at the lack of global progress

Wegner recognizes that as countries get closer to the global target, it gets harder to make clear progress. But many factors have exacerbated the problem in recent years, including conflicts, mass migration and climate change. The global stagnation is “both inexcusable and stunning”, she says.

The strain on health systems made it difficult for trustworthy data to be gathered due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. “I desperately hope that I am wrong,” she says.