2,800 women die annually in Myanmar in childbirth, pregnancy: new census

29 September 2016
2,800 women die annually in Myanmar in childbirth, pregnancy: new census
Women examine goods at one of the many roadside markets in the capital Yangon. Photo: EPA

About 2,800 women in Myanmar die annually in child birth or during pregnancy, according to a new thematic analysis report compiled from 2014 census data. 
Every day, eight women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy, childbirth and care in the early weeks after birth, said the report released on Tuesday, adding that one in five deaths among young women in Myanmar is a maternal death. 
Myanmar government is starting a program to reduce the maternal death with the assistance of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and is training health staff in response to the status. 
Maternal mortality in Myanmar is higher among poor and uneducated women who have limited ability to recognize pregnancy complication and to access care, said the report, adding that the country's maternal mortality ratio is the second highest among ASEAN member countries. 
The report also indicates that infant mortality rate has declined in Myanmar over the past three decades. However, the rate is still high as compared with other ASEAN member countries.
Courtesy Global Times