India Ranks First In Maternal Deaths Worldwide

The report points that a woman dies in every two minutes, due to pregnancy-related complications like severe bleeding after childbirth, infections, high blood pressure during pregnancy and unsafe abortion.

Another 8 countries Democratic Republic of the Congo (15,000), Pakistan (12,000), Sudan (10,000), Indonesia (9,600), Ethiopia (9,000), Tanzania (8,500), Bangladesh (7,200) and Afghanistan (6,400) also give a major share of 40 percent to the global maternal death rates.

The development by Eastern Asia on improving health of pregnant women and new mothers has given a new hope in the reduction of maternal deaths. But the failure of sub-Saharan African countries stands as a threat to the goal of reducing 75 percent maternal deaths from 1990 to 2015.

In the opinion of Osotimehin, former health minister in Nigeria “More than 215 million women lack access to modern contraceptives." He further says “Meeting the need for voluntary family planning for these women would not only fulfill a human right, it would also reduce the number of maternal deaths by a third. This is a highly cost-effective public health strategy."