The Looming Crisis: Maternal Mortality Soaring Due to US Aid Reductions
Consultation conducted by the Commission on a proposed directive aiming to harmonize Member State laws regarding worker safety concerning carcinogen exposure risks.
Social Media Sharing: 🔗 Frightening Figures: Maternal Mortality Skyrocketing Owing to US Aid Dwindles
Hold onto your seats, folks, because the latest UN reports reveal a chilling predicament - a potential surge in maternal mortality due to steep US aid reductions. In a recent report released on Monday, the UN reports a stagnated progress in reducing maternal deaths during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. This stagnation has raised the alarms at the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
Women today have a better shot at surviving pregnancy than ever before, but the pace of progress is unfortunately slowing down, and in some regions, it's actually going backward. The head of the WHO's department for sexual and reproductive health, Pascale Allotey, stated, "Every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth." This year, the WHO reports an estimated 260,000 reported deaths, most of which Allotey emphasizes are preventable.
Following President Donald Trump's inauguration in January, the US announced its withdrawal from the WHO and froze a hefty portion of its foreign aid, including health programs. Unsurprisingly, the report reveals that these cuts have caused widespread disruptions to health facilities worldwide, job losses among healthcare workers, and significant supply-chain issues for life-saving medical supplies and medications like those for malaria, pre-eclampsia, and maternal bleeding - major contributors to maternal deaths.
The situation is bleak, acknowledges WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, especially in countries where maternal mortality is already abnormally high.approximately 70% of cases occur in countries south of the Sahara. Tedros urged stronger commitment to improving maternal care, advocating for greater health rights and reproductive control for women and girls alike.
The concerning impacts of US aid reductions extend beyond maternal healthcare into overall global health programs. Significant reduction in investments in international family planning and maternal, newborn, and child health efforts spells doom for essential reproductive care services, leading to the closure of many sexual and reproductive health providers[3]. Consequently, this could result in an estimated 34,000 additional pregnancy-related deaths in a single year[3].
The global trend in maternal mortality reduction slowed significantly since 2016[1][2]. The majority of maternal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, with Sub-Saharan Africa bearing the highest burden. Cuts in humanitarian aid exacerbate these risks, particularly in fragile or conflict-affected areas[1][2][4]. WHO and UN agencies have emphasized the urgent need for investment to prevent further setbacks in maternal mortality, with the current decline rate far from meeting the UN's Sustainable Development Goal targets by 2030[2][4].
Sources:[1] ntv.de, [2] AFP, [3] International Women's Health Coalition, [4] The Lancet.
- The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has emphasized the need to strengthen community policy and investigate alternative funding options for vocational training programs for healthcare workers to mitigate the setbacks caused by the US aid reductions and ensure the continuation of essential maternal health services.
- In order to address the soaring maternal mortality rates due to the US aid reductions, WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA have called for increased investments in vocational training for healthcare workers in the field of maternal health, focusing on regions that are most impacted, like those south of the Sahara, by 2023.
- In light of the unfavorable circumstances arising from US aid reductions, the World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed the implementation of community-based vocational training programs for healthcare providers to enhance their skills and knowledge in managing pregnancy-related complications, thereby reducing maternal mortality rates during childbirth.
