DAR ES SALAAM, 24 October: Tanzania ranks 151 among 171 United Nations member states in lifetime risks of maternal mortality, it has been revealed.
The UN Fund for Population (UNFPA) says the new figures were released by a joint task force of UN-agencies – the World Health Organization (WHO), UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank.
The report said Tanzanias position is just above DR Congo, Malawi and Burkina Faso and below Uganda and Zambia.
A statement issued by UNFPA Dar es salaam office said: “In Tanzania, 13.000 women die every year due to pregnancy-related causes. It is in the same Tanzania again that 570 out of 100.000 women die during childbirth”.
– Such losses are tragic and most are preventable with cost-effective investments, said Jill Sheffield, president of Family Care International.
Sheffield said education for girls and women was fundamental for giving them options in life beyond childbearing.
– There should be necessary health system improvements which include access to comprehensive reproductive health services, skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth, and emergency care for mothers and newborns with complications, noted she.
Kilde: The Push Journal
