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MINSK, 7 April (BelTA) – The Republic of Belarus is one of only two member states in the entire European Region with a maternal mortality rate (MMR) of just 1 death per 100,000 live births, WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement timed to World Health Day.
The statement reads that the WHO European Region has the lowest maternal mortality rate of any WHO region, at 11 deaths for every 100,000 live births.
Since 2000, the maternal mortality rate in the European Region has dropped by 56%. “This is a testament to the relentless efforts of everyone from politicians to health workers and scientists to humanitarians and civil society, over the past 25 years,” Hans Kluge emphasized in his statement.
Yet every day, more than 700 women lose their lives globally to preventable maternal complications, he remarked. “While the regional average is low, reductions in maternal mortality are not uniformly distributed, with significant disparities remaining between countries and subregions, highlighting persistent inequities and lack of investment or access to quality maternal health services,” Hans Kluge admitted in his statement.
The latest data reveal that northern and western European countries like Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, have some of the lowest MMR in the region, ranging from 1 to 5 deaths per 100,000 live births. Southern Europe reveals mixed MMR trends. Countries like Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain generally have low MMR, but some have seen stagnation or even slight increases.
According to the statement, data from Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans reveal higher than average MMR and uneven progress. That said, over the past 25 years this part of the region has seen MMR decrease by 75%.
“One country, Belarus, stands out. It is one of only 2 Member States in the entire European Region with an MMR of just 1 death per 100,000 live births,” the WHO Regional Director for Europe said.
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