Maternal Health

Millennium Goal 5

Our Goal● Approximately 2 million women die each year due to complications in

pregnancy and childbirth

● 2 part goal : reduce the maternal mortality rate by 3/4 between 1990 and 2015 and to achieve by 2015, universal access to reproductive health

● Every year an estimated 36,000 maternal deaths occur in the 12 countries associated with the region of Southeast Asia. 4 countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Timor) have exceedingly high mortality rates with over 300 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Background

Southeast Asia consists of two geographic regions:

★ Maritime Southeast Asia, comprising Indonesia, East Malaysia,

Singapore, Philippines, East Timor, Brunei, and Christmas Island.

★ Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as Indochina, comprising

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Vietnam, and West

Malaysia

Background (cont.)

Many of the countries in this region have experienced and continue to experience war and conflict leaving them unstable and hence why they are considered “developing”

Chemical weapons that were used during the Vietnam War, such as Agent Orange, that are now known to cause cancer and birth defects

War has left a major strain on infrastructure leading to economic hardship and a lack of resources for pregnant women.

Causes

The distribution of maternal mortality causes among the regions of Southeast Asia is indicative of each region’s level of health-system development

According to the 2012 ESCAP/ADB/UNDP Asia-Pacific MDG Report, skilled attendance at birth was the leading factor in maternal mortality; the second largest factor was sanitation.

Hemorrhage is another leading cause of maternal death in these regions; this suggests that their health care facilities experience significant difficulty in obtaining the emergency obstetric care required by mothers.

Causes (cont.)

Hypertensive disorders contribute to about one in six maternal deaths in Southeast Asia, and numerous other indirect causes of death indicate a prevalence of infectious diseases, such as malaria and HIV

Another significant factor in maternal death is the practice of unsafe abortions, which are much more common in third-world countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam where it can be exceedingly difficult for impoverished mothers to find reliable, safe clinics

Maternal deaths in developing countries are preventable through adequate nutrition, proper health care, including access to family planning, the presence of a skilled birth attendant during delivery, and emergency obstetric care

Solution and Courses of Action• Primary Goals to accomplish:

• End preventable deaths of xwomen/children by 2030

• Ensure every woman, child, adolescent thrives

• Transforming the environment this populous ^ lives in

• Partnership for Child, Maternal, and Newborn Health will lead this mission

• Raised over $25 billion for this cause

• Funds Advocacy to ensure people are educated about this issue

• People will know how best to treat and take care of patients

• UN reliance will decrease

• Country Accountability for this is increased so nations are responsible for staying up to date with progress of this

Progress:

Malaria fight in Indonesia, Cambodia account for 20% of progress towards accomplishing this goal in this region

Increase across region in access to free healthcare and subsidies for child deliveries

Indonesia Case StudyPriorities here:

• Prevention through integration of basic immunizations, providing access to quality water and sanitation to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates

• Revitalization of family planning by increasing quality and covering family planning services

• Improving health facilities by increasing number of internationally accredited hospitals

• Increased availability and accessibility of drugs .i.e., generics

• Universal health coverage for all Indonesian citizens

• Maternal Mortality Ratio: -49% change from 1987-2007

• Neonatal Mortality: -30% change

• Infant Mortality: -49% change

• U5 Mortality: -56% change

❏ Basic and treatable diseases are what typically put them at risk

❏ Primary cause of mortality issues- Poor Health Care/Access to clean resources

❏ Improvements in Education and Health Care Resulted in Mortality Changes

❏ Support of Child Delivery has especially aided in this

Vietnam Case StudyEthnic Minorities as well as the poor, especially the rural poor, in Vietnam have

recieved a lack of antenatal care as well as a lack of skilled attendants

Vietnam has made great gains in recent years but the disparity between the rest of the country and these sections of the population is growing

Those in rural areas of the country were also at more of a disadvantage to receiving antenatal care as well as giving birth in a health facility or in areas with skilled attendants

According to the WHO, more of the poor (especially the rural poor) as well as those who are part of the Kinh/Hoa minorities were four times more likely to give birth at home and not have access to the proper care

Although, in recent years there has been an improvement, it just is not as great among poorer strata than the rich

Works Cited

Acuin, Cecilia S., Dr, and Geok Lin Khor, Prof. "Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health in Southeast Asia: Towards

Greater Regional Collaboration." The Lancet 377.9764 (2011): 516-25. ScienceDirect. The Lancet, 5-11 Feb. 2011.

Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

“A New Era for Ending Preventable Deaths for Mothers and Newborns.” The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child

Health. The World Health Organization, 22 September 2015. Web. 4 October 2015.

Buendia, Rizal B. "Mindanao Conflict in the Philippines: Ethno-Religious War or Economic Conflict?" Mindanao Conflict

in the Philippines: Ethno-Religious War or Economic Conflict? De La Salle University, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

"After the Vietnam War." BBC News. BBC, 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

Works Cited (cont.)

Cordall, Simon Speakman. "Landmines Still Exacting a Heavy Toll on Vietnamese Civilians." The Guardian. The

Guardian, 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

"Fears of a New Religious Strife." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 16 May 2012. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

"Goal: Improve Maternal Health." UNICEF -. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

"Improve Maternal Health." We Can End Poverty: Millennium Development Goals and Beyond 2015 (2013): n. pag.

Sept. 2013. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

“MDG 5: Improve Maternal Health." WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

Works Cited (cont.)"Millennium Development Goal 5." UNDP in Asia and the Pacific. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

“Report by UN and Gates Foundation presents vision for eradicating malaria by 2040.” United Nations News Centre. The United Nations, 28

September 2015. Web. 4 October 2015.

Rohn, Alan. "What Was the Impact of the Vietnam War? - The Vietnam War." The Vietnam War. The Vietnam War, 08 June 2013. Web. 05 Oct.

2015.

"SEA Countries - NIU - Center for Southeast Asian Studies." SEA Countries - NIU - Center for Southeast Asian Studies. Center for Southeast

Asian Studies -- Northern Illinois University, 2015. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

"South-East Asian Religions." South-East Asian Religions. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

"The War in Southeast Asia." The War in Southeast Asia. N.p., 2 Apr. 2013. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.“World Bank: We Need to Do More to Help Women.” The World Bank. World Bank, 2015. Web. 4 October 2015.