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Basic services could prevent maternal and newborn deaths
Family planning and routine delivery care could save the lives of millions of women and the babies they deliver, a new study has found.
Mother and her newborn baby
The report by the Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, shows that maternal deaths could be reduced by 70 per cent and newborn deaths cut nearly in half if the world doubled investment in family planning and pregnancy-related care.
More than half a million women die from pregnancy-related causes and more than 3 million newborns die each year in developing countries, many from easily preventable causes.
The report says the total investment needed is 24.6 billion dollars, slightly more than double the current spending.
In addition to saving lives, investing in family planning and maternal health would also curb transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, prevent unwanted pregnancies and increase opportunities for women to work and go to school.
Diane Bailey, UN Radio.
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