🤰 Maternal mortality declining – new data and methods show measurable results

• Globally, maternal mortality has decreased by 40 percent since 2000, according to estimates from the UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group.
• A sepsis prevention program at 59 hospitals in Malawi and Uganda reduced infection-related maternal mortality by 32 percent.
• A rural ambulance service in Punjab, Pakistan, has carried out more than three million transfers and reduced maternal mortality by 30 percent since 2017.

Sepsis program saves lives in Malawi and Uganda

The APT-Sepsis program introduced structured infection prevention care at 59 hospitals in Malawi and Uganda. In total, nearly half a million births were covered. The result was clear: infection-related maternal mortality or severe morbidity decreased by 32 percent compared to usual care.

The method was based on systematically applying WHO's existing recommendations through a coordinated approach – not on new drugs or technologies. This shows that consistent application of already known methods can save thousands of lives annually, even in countries with limited resources.

Ambulances in rural Pakistan

In the province of Punjab, an ambulance service targeting pregnant women in rural areas was launched in 2017. A central call center in Lahore receives 5,000 calls per day. A fleet of 600 ambulances transports 2,800 women daily to health centers equipped for safe childbirth. The cost is 10–15 US dollars per trip.

Maternal mortality in Punjab stood at 227 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2007. Since the ambulance service started, it has dropped by 30 percent to 157 per 100,000. In total, the service has carried out more than three million transfers.

During the 2020s, Punjab has also upgraded 2,500 primary care units and equipped 1,800 of them with round-the-clock obstetric care. The ambulances are now integrated into a digital tracking system.

Contraceptives reach more people through task-sharing

WHO's Family Planning Accelerator Plus program has enabled more categories of health workers – such as midwives, nurses and community health workers – to prescribe and administer contraceptives. The results are concrete.

In Burkina Faso, the use of injectable contraceptives tripled. In Ethiopia, overall use of modern contraceptives doubled. In Ghana and Nigeria, more women chose long-acting methods such as implants. Integrating contraceptive counseling into maternity and postnatal care has led to more women in Kenya and Ethiopia choosing long-acting methods after childbirth.

Among adolescents, programs linking contraceptive access to empowerment cut rates of teenage pregnancy by more than half. The global birth rate among 15–19-year-olds fell by 36 percent between 2000 and 2023, from 64.5 to 41.3 births per 1,000 women.

Early intervention against postpartum hemorrhage

Postpartum hemorrhage is the single most common cause of death among pregnant and birthing women – accounting for approximately 27 percent of all maternal deaths globally. A meta-analysis of 312,151 women showed that earlier intervention, already at 300 milliliters of blood loss with abnormal vital signs, can catch more at-risk cases in time. A standardized treatment protocol called MOTIVE – combining uterine massage, uterotonics, tranexamic acid, fluids and escalation – was tested in several countries and showed high feasibility and acceptability.

Maternal mortality has decreased 40 percent since 2000

Globally, maternal mortality has decreased by 40 percent since 2000, according to estimates from the UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group. In Northern Africa and Western Asia, the death rate fell from 161 to 78 per 100,000 live births. In Central and Southern Asia, it went from 397 to 112.

Every year, an estimated 260,000 women still die from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. In conflict-affected countries, maternal mortality stands at 504 per 100,000, compared to 99 in countries outside that category.

50 countries adopt self-care for reproductive health

Within five years of WHO publishing its guideline on self-care interventions for sexual and reproductive health, 50 countries have amended their national policies to include such options. Self-care means that individuals can carry out certain health interventions themselves, such as using self-tests or taking contraceptives, without needing to visit a clinic.

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