More women are projected to die from childbirth in sub–Saharan Africa by 2030 as a result of shortcomings in maternal care, a report by the Atlas of African Health Statistics 2022 has revealed.
The report published by WHO on December 1, 2022, says, by 2030, 390 women may die giving birth for every 100,000 live births.
The report said this figure is significantly higher than the average of 13 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births observed in Europe in 2017, which is more than the global average of 211, and more than five times higher than the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Africa would require an 86 percent decrease from 2017 rates to meet the SDG objective, it stated.
The infant mortality rate in the sub-Saharan region is currently 72 per 1,000 live births, and according to the report, if it continues to reduce at its current annual pace of 3.1%, it would drop to 54 per 1,000 live births by 2030. According to the report, this number is far higher than the reduction goal of less than 25 per 1,000.
Reducing maternal mortality would be one of the nine targets for the Sustainable Development Goal on health that the report evaluated, and it concluded that at the current rate, additional investment was required to speed progress toward the targets.
The World Health Organization regional director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, commented on these findings by stating that “Africa has scored some of the quickest decrease rates internationally in important health targets, but the momentum is waning.” This implies that delivery remains a constant risk for many African women, and millions of children do not live to see their fifth birthday.
Governments must drastically alter their direction, overcome the obstacles, and move more quickly toward the health goals.
These objectives represent the very cornerstones of a healthier life and well-being for millions of people, not just milestones.
Despite the alarming maternal mortality rates, the research pointed out that throughout the first decade of the twenty-first century, Africa had made outstanding advancements in some areas.
Maternal mortality decreased by 28%, newborn death rates decreased by 21%, and under-five mortality decreased by 35%, but, according to the report, progress in these three categories had stalled during the past ten years, especially for neonatal mortality.
“In the African region, 65 percent of births are attended by skilled health personnel – the lowest globally and far off the 2030 target of 90 per cent. Skilled birth attendants are crucial for the well-being of women and newborns.
“Neonatal deaths account for nearly half of all under-five mortality. Accelerating the agenda to meet its reduction goal will be a major step toward reducing the under-five mortality rate to fewer than 25 deaths per 1000 live births,” the report stated.
