Maternal and newborn

Maternal and Newborn Health / Safe Motherhood 

Complications arising during pregnancy and childbirth cause the deaths of at least 585 000 women every year, the vast majority in the developing world. The lifetime risk of dying from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth is, in some countries as high as 1 in 20, and, in others, as low as 1 in 1000. Over 4 million newborn babies die each year, most of them as a result of poorly managed pregnancies and deliveries. Millions more women and babies suffer debilitating and life-long consequences of ill-health.
The Maternal and Newborn Health/Safe Motherhood Unit of the World Health Organization seeks to alleviate the burden of suffering borne by women, children and families and to reduce levels of maternal and 
neonatal mortality and ill-health.  Its activities fall into four main areas:

1.      technical cooperation with countries for planning, implementing managing and evaluation national safe motherhood and newborn care programmes

2.      epidemiological research into levels and causes of maternal and neonatal mortality and operational research on cost-effective ways of reducing deaths and disabilities

3.      strengthening human resources for the provision of essential obstetric care including development of standard treatment and management protocols, programme planning guidelines and training materials

4.      production of advocacy materials and dissemination of information