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Aid cuts by wealthy countries could be at risk of dying during pregnancy and childbirth, says a UN report. The most vulnerable are pregnant women in conflict zones, as the risk is much higher given the healthcare system is crippled and it's dependent on countries sending in aid, could lead to a 'pandemic-like effect'. This had come to light with the WHO's recently released report on trends in maternal mortality.
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Though it highlights how death due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth has dipped by 40% across the world between 2000 and 2023. It has been slow since 2016. The report mentions that around 260,000 women died in 2023 due to pregnancy-related complications.
Dr Bruce Aylward, an assistant director general at the WHO, emphasised how the rise in the number could give a perspective into the possible impact of aid cuts. He said, “With Covid, we saw an acute shock to the system, and what’s happening with financing is an acute shock. Countries have not had time to put in place and plan for what other financing they’re going to use, what other workers they’re going to use, what are the trade-offs they’re going to make in their systems to try to make sure the most essential services can continue.”
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“Global funding cuts to health services are putting more pregnant women at risk, especially in the most fragile settings, by limiting their access to essential care during pregnancy and the support they need when giving birth. The world must urgently invest in midwives, nurses and community health workers to ensure every mother and baby has a chance to survive and thrive," said Catherine Russell, Unicef’s director.
“It is an indictment on our humanity and a real travesty of justice that women die in childbirth today. It really is something that we all have a collective responsibility for. We have to step up," Pascale Allotey, director of the WHO’s reproductive health department, weighed in on the matter.