United Nations agencies have warned that aid cuts by wealthy nations could reverse decades of progress in reducing maternal deaths, with potential 'pandemic-like effects' on global health. A new UN report on maternal mortality trends reveals that while deaths from pregnancy and childbirth complications fell by 40% between 2000 and 2023, progress has slowed since 2016 and remains fragile.
An estimated 260,000 women died from pregnancy-related causes in 2023, with those in conflict zones facing an 'alarmingly high' risk five times greater than elsewhere. The report, partly funded by the US, highlights that US funding cuts this year have led to clinic closures, job losses for health workers, and disruptions to supply chains for life-saving medicines to treat haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia, and malaria.
Dr Bruce Aylward, an assistant director general at the World Health Organization, compared the impact of aid cuts to the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a rise of 40,000 maternal deaths in 2021. 'With Covid, we saw an acute shock to the system, and what’s happening with financing is an acute shock,' he said, warning of a potential 'shift backwards' in maternal health.
The report underscores stark inequalities: in 2023, poor countries had 346 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, nearly 35 times the rate in wealthy nations. In conflict-affected or 'fragile' countries, which account for 61% of global maternal deaths but only 25% of live births, a 15-year-old girl faces a one in 51 chance of dying from pregnancy-related causes, compared to one in 7,933 in rich countries.
Catherine Russell, Unicef's director, urged urgent investment in midwives, nurses, and community health workers to protect mothers and babies. The report calls for maintaining critical services and improving access to family planning and education to prevent further backsliding.
