Friday 16 January
2009, San José, Costa
Rica
HEALTH-LATIN AMERICA:
Too Many Women and
Children Dying
By Daniela Estrada
SANTIAGO (IPS) - "Latin
America is not in the
tragic conditions of the
least developed
countries, but an
average rate of 130
maternal deaths per
100,000 live births is
very high," UNICEF
representative Egidio
Crotti told IPS.
Along with Chilean
Planning Minister Paula
Quintana and Public
Health Minister
Jeannette Vega, Crotti
took part in the local
presentation of UNICEF’s
(United Nations
Children’s Fund) "The
State of the World’s
Children 2009" report
Thursday in Santiago.
The report was launched
in South Africa.
Every day, 1,500 women
worldwide -- more than
500,000 a year -- die
while giving birth. But
the risk of dying of
complications during
pregnancy or delivery is
300 times greater for
women in developing
countries than in the
industrialised world,
the report says.
And for every woman who
dies, another 20 suffer
illnesses or injury.
Sub-Saharan Africa has
the highest maternal
mortality rates,
averaging 920 deaths per
100,000 live births,
compared to a rate of
eight per 100,000 in
industrialised
countries.
In Latin America, Chile
has the lowest rate,
with 16 maternal deaths
per 100,000 live births,
followed by Uruguay
(20), Costa Rica (30),
Cuba (45), Venezuela
(57), Mexico (60),
Argentina (77), Brazil
(110), Colombia and
Panama (130), the
Dominican Republic and
Paraguay (150), El
Salvador and Nicaragua
(170), Ecuador (210),
Peru (240), Honduras
(280), Guatemala and
Bolivia (290), and Haiti
(670).
"This is even more
serious because there
are funds in Latin
America. Everything
depends on where
countries put their
priorities," said Crotti.
With respect to neonatal
mortality (deaths within
28 days of birth), Latin
America and the
Caribbean have an
average rate of 13
deaths per 1,000 live
births, compared to 41
per 1,000 in South Asia,
45 per 1,000 in West and
Central Africa -- and
just three per 1,000 in
the industrialised
world.
In Latin America, Cuba
stands out, with a
neonatal mortality rate
of four per 1,000 live
births, followed by
Chile (five), Uruguay
(seven), Costa Rica,
(eight), and Argentina
(10).
The worst rates are
found in Guatemala (19),
Bolivia (24) and Haiti
(32).
Crotti stressed that 80
percent of neonatal
deaths in the world are
avoidable.
With regard to
under-five mortality,
the region’s average is
26 per 1,000 live
births, while the global
rate is 68.
The UNICEF
representative said
there is a scientific
consensus on the factors
needed to eradicate
maternal and infant
mortality.
For example, a
favourable setting for
the development of women
and respect for their
rights, timely and
continuous health care
for mothers and
children, and the
implementation of
integral and coordinated
public policies.
"Another issue that I
think is a big challenge
for Latin America and
the Caribbean as a whole
is the question of teen
pregnancies, which have
not gone down, and which
science shows are very
risky to women’s health
and imply dropping out
of school. Furthermore,
this question is related
to societies that are
violent against women,"
said Crotti.
"If Latin America wants
to meet the Millennium
Development Goal (MDG)
on maternal and infant
mortality rates, it has
to make faster progress,
because at this pace,
most of the countries
will be far from meeting
the targets in 2015,"
said Crotti, who urged
governments "not to lose
sight of the fact that
we are talking about
human lives."
From 1990 to 2005, the
region’s maternal
mortality rate dropped
from 180 to 130 deaths
per 100,000 live births.
The eight MDGs, which
were adopted by the
world’s governments at
the 2000 U.N. General
Assembly, set specific
targets for reducing
poverty by 2015, taking
1990 levels as the
baseline.
The fourth MDG is to
reduce mortality of
children under five by
two-thirds, and the
fifth is to reduce
maternal mortality by
three-quarters and
guarantee universal
access to reproductive
health.
The rest of the MDGs are
a 50 percent reduction
in poverty and hunger;
universal primary
education; the promotion
of gender equality;
ensuring environmental
sustainability; the
reversal of the spread
of HIV/AIDS, malaria and
other diseases; and a
global partnership for
development between the
rich and the poor.
In his speech Thursday
in Santiago, Crotti
highlighted Chile’s
child protection system,
implemented by the
government of Socialist
President Michelle
Bachelet, known as
"Chile Grows with You".
The multisectoral
programme, the first of
its kind in Latin
America, provides full
support for all mothers
and children from
pregnancy until the
child turns four,
offering universal day
care and preschool
education, maternity
care and health
services.
The programme began to
operate in 159
municipalities in 2007
and was extended to the
entire country in 2008.
"We are talking about
198,000 pregnant women
and 647,000 children
from birth to age four
who are covered by the
public health system,"
said Planning Minister
Quintana.
Two weeks ago, the
government introduced a
draft law creating an
intersectoral social
programme system and
institutionalising the
"Chile Grows with You"
programme. The draft law
is expected to be
approved in the first
quarter of this year.
The Bachelet
administration has had
contacts with other
countries in the region,
like Brazil, Mexico and
Uruguay, to replicate
the experience outside
of Chile, said Quintana. |
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