Background
a. Burden of maternal mortalityMaternal mortality (MM) constitutes one of the major health problems facing women worldwide with unacceptable high numbers of preventable mortality. Every day close to 830 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications around the world with reported 303 000 maternal death in 2015 according to WHO. Almost all of these deaths occurred in low-income countries (LICs), and most could have been prevented [1]. Six countries account for over half of maternal deaths around the world (India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo). This discrepancy is manifested in the substantial variation in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by country, from 956.8/100 000 (685·1–1262·8) in South Sudan to 2.4/100 000 (1·6–3·6) in Iceland [2].According to WHO, over 20% of all healthy life years lost in women of childbearing age are due to 3 factors: maternal morbidity and mortality, sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, and gynecological cancer [3].It is well known that every pregnancy can embody risks for mother and baby, but these risks vary among communities, countries and regions. Unfortunately, those risks are higher in countries with poor resources and week dysfunctional health services, with the largest gap between wealthy and impoverished observed in MM levels. Out of all the global maternal deaths, 99% occur in low-resource countries (284 000 maternal death), the majority of which are in sub-Saharan Africa (162 000 maternal death) and Southern Asia (83 000 maternal death) [4].The MMR, being an indicator of development as well as quality of life in a population, is 15 times higher in low-resource regions than in high resource regions [5]. Among countries classified in the “low resource regions”, sub-Saharan Africa ranks lowest with the highest MMR, at 500 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births, while Eastern Asia ranks highest with the lowest, at 37 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births. Looking at the ratings of MMR in all the “low resource regions”, Western Asia where Lebanon belongs ranks 2ndafter and Caucasus and Central Asia [5]. The overall ranking according to MMR (shown in brackets) is as follows: Southern Asia (220), Oceania (200), South eastern Asia (150), Latin America and the Caribbean (80), Northern Africa (78), Western Asia (71), and Caucasus and Central Asia (46).The adult lifetime risk of MM in women from sub-Saharan Africa was the highest at 1:39, in contrast Maternal Mortality in LebanonA story of successEvery day close to 830 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications around the world in 2015Six countries account for over half of maternal deaths around the world (India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo)The rest of the worldThe rest of the worldOver 50%The discrepancy is manifested in the substantial variation in the MMR by country in 2013 956.8 2.4The risks are higher in countries with poor resources and week dysfunctional health servicessub-Saharan AfricaSouthern Asia57%29.3%13.7%South SudanIcelandMaternal Mortality in Lebanon A Story of Success7to 1:130 in Oceania, 1:160 in Southern Asia, 1:290 in South-eastern Asia, and 1:3800 among women in high-resource countries [4].MM is closely linked to several health and socioeconomic conditions such as total fertility rate, HIV, and gross domestic product. It is important to keep this in mind when looking at the variation in reported MM numbers and indicators across countries.
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