Women in least developed countries are 300 times more exposed to risk of dying from complications during pregnancy or delivery, UNICEF

The average lifetime risk of a woman in a least developed country dying from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth is more than 300 times greater than for a woman living in an industrialized country, says the State of the World’s Children report published by UNICEF. A child born in a least developed country is almost 14 times more likely to die during the first 28 days of life than a child born in an industrialized country, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communique from the UNICEF Representative Office in Moldova. “Every year, over half a million women, including 70,000 women aged between 15 and 19, die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. The earliest days of life are the most vulnerable for a child as well as the mother. Therefore, the postpartum medical visits and counseling are of vital importance in this period. The divide between the industrialized countries and developing regions, particularly the least developed countries, is perhaps greater on maternal mortality than on almost any other issue. The maternal death rate in Moldova fall from 27 cases per 100,000 births in 2000 to 15 cases in 2007 due to the reforms carried out in primary medicine and maternities, the communiqué says. In 2009, UNICEF will donate perinatological equipment worth about 1 million USD to assist the Government in further implementing these reforms. “In order to save the lives of the children, we must take care of the health of their mothers,” said Alexandra Yuster, UNICEF Representative in Moldova. “This does not mean only medical assistance, but also an environment where the women are motivated and where their rights are respected. UNICEF supports the Government of Moldova in its efforts to insure the women’s and children’s access to medical and other essential services at home, in the community.” According to UNICEF, almost 40 percent of under-five deaths – numbering 3.7 million in 2004 – take place during the first 28 days, the neonatal period. Since 1990, the infant mortality in Moldova has decreased by 35%, while the neonatal rate by 30%. Moldova ranks the 117th out of 189 countries by the under-five death rate, indicator that is most often used to measure child welfare. Moldova is ahead Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, China and Brazil and behind Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic States.