WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has warned that while the region of the Americas, including the Caribbean, has progressed towards reducing maternal mortality, challenges remain, requiring urgent efforts to ensure all women have access to quality maternal health care.

According to the United Nations report, “Trends in maternal mortality estimates,” there were 7,850 maternal deaths in the region in 2023, representing a 15.7 per cent decrease compared to the 9,210 deaths recorded in 2000, largely due to improved access to essential health services.

However, PAHO said the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the Americas was 59 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, which is still above the regional target of 30 deaths per 100,000 live births established by PAHO’s Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas for 2030.

The organisation said although the Americas account for three per cent of the total maternal deaths worldwide, the region shows significant disparities in maternal mortality, with rates ranging  from 10 deaths per 100,000 live births in Chile to 328 deaths in Haiti.

Currently, five countries have very low MMR (under 20), 26 countries have low MMR (20 to 99), four countries have moderate MMR (100 to 299), and only one country has a high MMR (over 300).

“We cannot accept that, in a continent like ours, with high levels of development and investment, women continue to die during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period, or that children continue to die or suffer from preventable diseases that will mark the rest of their lives,” said PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa.

“Ensuring that every birth takes place in the best possible health conditions is not only the responsibility of health systems but also the duty of governments and each one of us,” he added.

Between 2000 and 2023, 29 countries in the Americas reduced their MMR, while seven countries experienced increases, although only in four of them were these increases statistically significant.

PAHO said the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing health access inequalities across the region, leading to a temporary increase in maternal deaths in 2020.

However, by 2023, maternal mortality rates in the region had returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Between 2020 and 2023, PAHO said maternal mortality in the Americas decreased by 19 per cent, translating into five fewer maternal deaths every day in the region.

The leading causes of maternal death in the region include severe hemorrhage, hypertension, pregnancy-related infections, and complications from unsafe abortions.

PAHO emphasised that nearly all maternal deaths are preventable, and that medical and scientific knowledge is available to ensure favorable outcomes, provided women have access to respectful, quality healthcare.

To further reduce maternal deaths, PAHO said it is essential to address inequalities in access to sexual, reproductive, maternal and neonatal health care.

Additionally, PAHO recommended guaranteeing universal access to healthcare, improving care quality through a primary healthcare approach, implementing strategies to address the main causes of obstetric complications, and strengthening health systems to meet the needs of women and girls throughout their lives.

In June 2024, PAHO launched the Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths campaign to accelerate actions aimed at improving women’s health.

This initiative focuses on strengthening health systems, ensuring universal access to health services, and ensuring that all women everywhere have access to high-quality maternal care.

PAHO said it is also working to improve the surveillance and reporting of maternal mortality data in the region.