1. ____________________________________ Commonwealth Foundation Partner’s Forum 9 th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers’ Meeting Gender issues in the economic crisis recovery and beyond: Women as agents of transformation Barbados 4-5 June 2010 Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation

2. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation The health MDGs * MDG 4: Reduce child mortality * MDG 5: Improve maternal health * MDG 6: Combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases

3. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation Globally, one woman dies every minute from pregnancy or childbirth related complications.

4. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation For every woman who dies, twenty more develop infections or other severe disabling problems.

5. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation The decline in maternal mortality is 1.3% per year instead of the 5.5% per year required to achieve MDG 5.

6. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation Between 2000 and 2008 fewer than half of all pregnant women made the WHO recommended minimum four antenatal visits.

7. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation Fewer than 50% of births in Africa and South Asia, where 82% of maternal deaths occur, are attended by a skilled health worker.

8. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation Maternal death is the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19 years in developing countries.

9. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation The funding gap for maternal, newborn and child health will be about US$20 billion each year between 2011 and 2015.

10. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation At our current rate of progress, the Millennium Development Goal for improving maternal health will not be achieved until 2045.

11. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation One of the major reasons for the high levels of maternal mortality in developing countries is women’s lack of access to appropriate health care as a result of their social and economic status, a status that is rooted in public policies of gender inequality.

12. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation The position women occupy and the opportunities they have in the society in which they live is directly related to maternal mortality.

13. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation

14. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation The adverse impact on health of low socioeconomic status is compounded for women by gender inequities.

15. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation Many of the health problems faced by adult women, leading to an increased vulnerability to maternal mortality, have their origins in childhood.

16. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation Women face particular problems in disasters and emergencies and in situations of political instability and conflict.

17. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation Men still predominantly have political control in most societies and therefore have social and economic control as well.

18. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation The socioeconomic and gender based inequalities that women face affect their access to and use of health care services.

19. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation The major causes of maternal deaths are: * haemorrhage (25%) * infections (15%) * unsafe abortion (13%) * eclampsia (12%) * obstructed labour (8%) * other direct causes (8%) * other indirect causes (20%)

20. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation

21. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation

22. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation A primary strategy in government action plans to achieve the MDGs should be a focus on the health workforce.

23. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation 1. LEADERSHIP 2. RESPONSIVE HEALTH SERVICES 3. POSITIVE PUBLIC POLICIES 4. MONITORING OUTCOMES

24. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation 1. LEADERSHIP 2. RESPONSIVE HEALTH SERVICES 3. POSITIVE PUBLIC POLICIES 4. MONITORING OUTCOMES

25. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation 1. LEADERSHIP 2. RESPONSIVE HEALTH SERVICES 3. POSITIVE PUBLIC POLICIES 4. MONITORING OUTCOMES

26. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation 1. LEADERSHIP 2. RESPONSIVE HEALTH SERVICES 3. POSITIVE PUBLIC POLICIES 4. MONITORING OUTCOMES

27. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation Our failure to make significant progress toward improving maternal health and achieving MDG 5 by 2015 has its roots in gender inequality.

28. ____________________________________ Maternal Mortality and the MDGs Commonwealth Nurses Federation As women and leaders it is our role and responsibility to be champions for women and call our governments to account and to take action to improve maternal health and meet MDG 5 by 2015.