GENEVA - More than 8,000 women die annually in Latin America and the Caribbean due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, according to a report released at the ongoing 76th World Health Assembly (WHA) here.
According to the progress report on the Global Strategy for Women’s Children’s and Adolescent’s Health (2016-2030), in Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 8,400 women die each year due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, with a disproportionate impact on poor women and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.
The report noted that approximately nine out of 10 of these deaths are preventable with the authors urging countries to step-up investment in family planning interventions and routine postnatal care for women and newborns in a bid to reduce maternal and child mortality.
During the meeting, which ends on May 30, countries of the Americas highlighted the importance of recovering progress towards maternal mortality following the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on women from vulnerable populations as well as on strengthening mental health initiatives for adolescents.
The WHO’s Global Strategy provides countries with a roadmap to end preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths, including stillbirths, by 2030, as well as to improve their overall health and well-being.
During the meeting, participants also underscored the intrinsic link between climate change and health.
Over the past decades, climate change has led to a rise in extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and floods, as well as an increase in infectious and vector-borne diseases.
“This is of particular concern in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Caribbean, which are on the frontlines of climate change impact in the region yet contribute a comparatively minute percentage to greenhouse gas emissions, a main driver of global warming,” according to a statement issued following the meeting.
It said during the roundtable, participants highlighted that health should be a powerful argument to advance the call for action in response to climate change in the run-up to COP28.
