One preventable death occurs every seven second globally — WHO

•flags off year-long campaign on maternal and newborn health

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says roughly one preventable death of a woman or a child occurs every seven seconds globally as it kicked off a year-long campaign on maternal and newborn health.

WHO said the campaign, titled ‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures’, is to urge governments and the health community to ramp up efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and to prioritize women’s longer-term health and well-being.

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The South West zone coordinator, WHO, Dr Ayodele Isiaka, at a rally to mark World He’s Day in Ibadan, said that the task of helping every woman and baby survive and thrive is critical.

Isiaka declared that the onus is on the family and health workers to take good care of women and children and ensure that women have a voice to be able to access freely the provided health care services in Nigeria.

According to him, the government, with the support of WHO and other agencies, is ensuring that they have very safe delivery, the services are there, and the health workers have been trained to ensure no woman should die.

He added, “Tragically, based on currently published estimates, close to 300,000 women lose their lives due to pregnancy or childbirth each year, while over 2 million babies die in their first month of life and around 2 million more are stillborn. That’s roughly 1 preventable death every 7 seconds.

“Based on current trends, a staggering 4 out of 5 countries are off track to meet targets for improving maternal survival by 2030. 1 in 3 will fail to meet targets for reducing newborn deaths.

“Women and families everywhere need high-quality care that supports them physically and emotionally, before, during and after birth.

“Health systems must evolve to manage the many health issues that impact maternal and newborn health. These not only include direct obstetric complications but also mental health conditions, noncommunicable diseases and family planning.”