AMID dramatic aid cuts, the WHO has sounded the alarm about the dangers to Pakistan’s mothers and newborns, asking global and national associates to help lower its maternal and neonatal mortalities without delay. To prevent another bleak phase — in 2020, a UN progress report said that Pakistan ranked third among the top 10 nations with the highest maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths — the government must pay close attention to WHO’s depressing data:675 under one-month-old babies and 27 mothers succumb to preventable complications daily in the country, amounting to an annual loss of more than 9,800 mothers and 246,300 newborns with over 190,000 stillbirths every year. We can, however, take credit for the fact that 80pc of our population resides in areas where neonatal tetanus spread has been contained. While the Trends in Maternal Mortality report states that maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023 fell by 40pc due to easier access to health facilities, it also warns against a relapse — approximately 260,000 women died in 2023, which means one expectant mother perished every two minutes.
This nation cannot relive another nightmare. If authorities slacken, health gains diminish. This jeopardises global goals to reduce maternal mortality, putting over a million females at risk by 2030. The challenges in the provision of obstetric care within health units are prime concerns as haemorrhages and deficiencies are common causes of deaths. But most obstetric services are concentrated in urban areas, with not enough focus on underdeveloped regions. There is a need for investment in quality infrastructure and staff to handle labour problems and deliver superior neonatal care. The government, aside from healthcare reforms, must develop training programmes in partnership with health specialists that focus on the untrained midwives who perform rural deliveries, with large-scale distribution of medical supplies to ensure safety. In short, the blood of mothers dying in childbirth must not darken our prospects again.
An Editorial Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2025
