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Call for fresh action to combat maternal and infant mortality
Each year in developing countries, 550,000 women die due to pregnancy and 3.5 million infants die within a month of being born. According to the United Nations Population Fund, the UNFPA, targeted investment in family planning and maternal care centres would greatly improve the situation. It would also bring some significant additional benefits.
By doubling the level of investment, it would be possible to avoid close to 2 million deaths and to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies by more than two thirds! According to a report by the UNFPA and the Guttmacher Institute, the number of abortions carried out without adequate medical support would be reduced by 75%.
It would also produce other benefits: a greater use of condoms as contraceptives would lead to a greater level of protection against HIV/AIDS, improvement in socio-economic status and better access to education and employment for women.
These two institutions are therefore asking for an overall investment of 24.6 billion dollars. At present, 12 billion dollars have been assigned to maternal and infant protection. The majority of this funding comes from developing countries but also from private donors. The aim is to invest in maternal care centres … but without forgetting family planning centres which are often left to fend for themselves.
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