Preventing maternal deaths

Many thousands of women throughout the world experience childbirth, not as the joyful event it should be, but as a time of suffering that may even end in death. In the developing countries particularly, maternal death and injury constitute a tragedy of vast proportions. Yet, until recently, the problem was largely ignored by those who set national and international health priorities, because those who suffer most are often poor, illiterate, and politically powerless. In recent years, the scale of the suffering associated with pregnancy and childbirth has become more widely recognized, as has the crucial fact that much of this suffering is preventable. This book presents an overview of this major public health problem and draws attention to the special and long-neglected needs of women. In this way, it aims to stimulate debate on the subject and to promote the changes in public health policy needed to make childbearing safer. Thetechnical know-how to do this is already available;what is needed now is political commitment and broad public support.