Making motherhood safe

To assist policymakers and program managers to design and implement programs to reduce maternal mortality, this paper discusses the lessons for reducing maternal mortality derived from experience and research in both developing and industrial countries. That evidence shows that community-based approaches such as family planning and training and the deployment of midwives have helped reduce maternal deaths in high-mortality settings. A World Bank analysis of health sector priorities identified prenatal care and delivery services as among the most cost-effective government interventions for improving adult and child health. The paper also recommends priorities and program strategies for making family planning services and maternal health care more effective by improving quality, increasing access, and educating the public about the importance of such services. Programs succeed best when they provide a package of services, including community-based family planning, health, and nutrition services. Substantial-and sustained-reduction of the risk of dying once pregnant, however, requires an effective continuum of care from the community to the first-referral level, supported by a public education program. -from Authors