UNICEF says every minute, one woman dies from pregnancy-related causes

Every minute a woman somewhere in the world dies while pregnant or giving birth, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today, calling for increased international efforts to prevent maternal mortality.

"It is unacceptable that in the year 2002 so many women die in the basic act of giving life," said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy. "As we mark International Women's Day, we must commit ourselves to addressing this fundamental aspect of the gender gap: keeping prospective mothers healthy and alive."

It is estimated that out of over half a million women who die each year as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, more than 99 per cent live in developing countries. While a woman who gives birth in a developing country faces as high as a 1 in 13 chance of dying, in industrialized countries that risk falls to 1 in 4,100. UNICEF said the dramatic difference demonstrated that with proper attention and investment, developing countries could significantly improve women's chances for survival.

"We know how to prevent most of these deaths," said Ms. Bellamy. "The focus must be on the right of women to have these basic maternal health services. Governments and communities must see this not as an 'extra,' but as a fundamental component of women's health, child health, and family health."

UNICEF stressed the need for emergency obstetric care in order to prevent deaths from complications in childbirth and pregnancy. The agency said all deliveries should be overseen by skilled attendants - doctors, nurses, or midwives - with access to the equipment, drugs and other supplies essential to basic obstetric care.

"It is simply unjust that in a world that has entered a new millennium with unprecedented technological breakthroughs that we allow so many women to die such easily preventable deaths," said Ms. Bellamy.