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Top 10 Maternal Health Highlights in 2010
December 15th, 2010
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Looking back over the
past year, we have much to celebrate. The following list is not exhaustive, but
recaps some of the most prominent maternal health-related milestones and events
of 2010. As we push forward into 2011, we celebrate both the successes and solutions of the past year, as well as the
barriers to success we can learn from in order to streamline our strategies to
best reach MDG 5.
1.
Maternal Deaths Dropping and Solutions to Celebrate, September 2010
Some good news!
While maternal health statistics are often chilling, we cannot overlook the
global achievements and country-specific successes of this year. The number of
women dying due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth has decreased
by 34% from an estimated 546,000 in 1990 to an estimated 358,000 in 2008, according to a new report,
"Trends in maternal mortality."
Additionally, our
staff consistently reports on country-specific successes in maternal health
through our Celebrate Solutions
series. Stay tuned as we continue to profile country accomplishments and
technological advancements.
2.
Delivering Solutions for Girls and Women: Women Deliver Conference, June 2010
The
Women Deliver 2010 conference
joined 3,400 advocates, policymakers, development leaders, health care
professionals, youth, advocates, and media representing 146 countries from June
7-9 in
Richard
Horton, the editor of the The Lancet, called the 2010 Women Deliver conference
“the most significant event for the future of women and children in 20 years”
and Melinda Gates declared that the Gates Foundation would commit
$1.5 billion in new grant money for maternal and newborn health during the conference.
The success of this
conference comes from the support and action of the
diverse players, from UN agencies to NGOs, from government officials to
funders. This collaboration is necessary to move forward in overcoming
obstacles towards reaching MDG 5.
3.
Calls for Action: Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, September
& November 2010
In September, a
variety of stakeholders from the private, government, international,
non-profit, and research sectors pledged new commitments to maternal
health—including over $40 billion—at the official launch of the Global Strategy for Women’s and
Children’s Health during the global summit on the Millennium
Development Goals (MGS). Track these commitments at the official website for
the program, Every Woman, Every Child.
To catalyze action
regarding the challenges ahead, Women Deliver co-hosted a brunch “Accelerating Action on the MDGs:
Delivering for Girls, Women, and Babies,” as a prelude to the MDG
Summit at the UN in September. Speakers and group discussions echoed concerns
about the remaining barriers, and again highlighted the importance of
accountability, integration, synergy, and commitment (financial and political)
in achieving the goals. Details here.
In November, the Partnership
for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Partner's Forum gathered
for a follow-up meeting in
4.
G8/G20 Commit to Improving Maternal Health, June 2010
This year, the leaders
of the G8 countries pledged a total of $5 billion to maternal, newborn, and
child health, prioritized maternal and child health in the G8 Communiqué, and
launched the Muskoka Initiative to accelerate efforts towards improving
maternal and child health. These leaders reaffirmed that despite overall
declining rates of maternal mortality, progress is “unacceptably slow,” and
identified solutions to maternal mortality like: strong health systems, sexual
and reproductive health care and services, and family planning. Details here.
In addition, the G20 decided to create a Working
Group on development issues for the first time ever, adding a social
approach to their usually finance-heavy work. The G20 leaders stated,
““Narrowing the development gap and reducing poverty are integral to our
broader objective of achieving strong, sustainable and balanced growth and
ensuring a more robust and resilient global economy for all.”
5. The
Renewal of the
With your support, we called
on the African Heads of State to revitalize their 2006 commitment to sexual and
reproductive health through the renewal of the Maputo Plan. We asked that these
leaders promote family planning, focus on youth, strengthen health systems, and
advance and protect women’s and children’s rights. In July, African leaders
acknowledged the fundamental role that women play in the development of their
countries, and agreed to invest in women.
6.
Global Maternal Health Conference in
The Maternal Health
Task Force (MHTF) and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) co-hosted
the Global Maternal Health Conference, uniting 700
maternal health experts to share experiences, lessons, neglected issues and
innovations surrounding MDG 5. Pam Barnes, President of EngenderHealth highlighted five issues
that emerged during conference:
1) Solutions must be
allocated to the right resource personnel; solutions are not effective unless
they can be distributed.
2) Creative solutions to limited health professionals must be brainstormed, for
example ‘task shifting.
3) Accountability. Barriers to achieving MDG 5 are both in and outside the
clinic; advocacy is essential for checks and balances.
4) Maternal health is horizontal; “connecting the dots” between cultural,
social and economic variables that affect maternal health and other Millennium
Development Goals.
5) Community-and facility-based maternal care is (locally) context specific.
The Maternal Health Mapping Project,
a project to link maternal health resources to each other in-country and worldwide,
was highlighted at this conference.
7.
Mifepristone, Misoprostol, and Birth Control Pills Celebrate Anniversaries, May
and September 2010
In September, we
celebrated the ten year anniversary of
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s approval of mifepristone,
commonly known for its use in combination with misoprostol in medical
abortions. These drugs have significantly changed the experience of abortion by
increasing access, ease and privacy, as well as providing women a choice
between a medical or surgical option when ending a pregnancy.
Mother’s Day marked
the 50th anniversary of the approval of the birth control pill in
the
While we applaud the
milestone that these reproductive health technologies represent, we must
acknowledge the millions of women, mostly in developing countries, continue to
face barriers in access, affordability, and use.
“When a
woman is able to manage her fertility, she is better able to manage her life
and to realize her full potential as a human being,” said
Jill Sheffield, President of Women Deliver. “This has tremendous positive
implications for her family, her community, and her country, and is a solid
cost-effective solution to maternal deaths worldwide. The advent of the birth
control pill in the
8.
Corporates Engage with Global Health Issues and Organizations, May and June
2010
This year, the
Global Summit for Women in
In June, leaders from
science, industry, policy, medical practice, and public health met at the Pacific Health Summit to address challenges
that face maternal and newborn health with the goal of forging new alliances
and public-private partnerships focused on innovation, implementation, and
collaboration. The theme of the 2010 event was: “Maternal and Newborn Health:
The Crux of a Decent Humanity.”
At the Women Deliver
2010 conference, corporates stepped forward to discuss “Doing Business and Doing Good.” At the
conference, there were 37 corporations with 70 individuals represented. This
engagement included sponsors, speakers, exhibitors, and participants, and there
were three corporate concurrent sessions covering a range of topics:
public-private partnerships, mobile technologies, and investing in girls and
women. Read guest columns and news from
our corporate partners. Watch a video of Corporate Engagement at
Women Deliver Conference 2010, and watch a speech from Mikkel Vestergaard at the brunch in September.
9.
mHealth and Mobile Technology Innovations Take Center Stage, November 2010
Over 2,700 tech gurus,
government officials, non-profit organizations, researchers and private sector
companies attended the mHealth Summit in DC at
the
Successful pilot
projects are already in the works – read about mHealth solutions to maternal
health, training and mobile health
technology in Rwanda, the mWomen Programme
launched by Cherie Blair and Hillary Clinton, Mobile Health for Mothers
launched by Johnson & Johnson, FrontlineSMS:Medic, and Text4Baby.
10.
New Year’s Resolution: Keep Pushing!
While we can celebrate
many solutions, we still face challenges ahead. The global maternal mortality
rate reflects rampant inequities and huge disparities still exist between rich
and poor countries, and between the rich and poor in all countries. The rate of
decline is less than half of what it needs to be to achieve MDG 5 by 2015.
Other organizations
have voiced this concern. During the 61st session of the WHO Regional Committee for the
Western Pacific, in October, regional representatives and
governments discussed women’s health in a human rights context. In the same
vein, the UN released a report in October
that recognized the progress made regarding obstetric fistula in the developed
world, but which outlines the debilitating reality the condition still poses
for women in the developing world. Likewise, The Lancet applauded the increased
support of maternal, newborn, and children health programs from the Official
Development Assistance (ODA), but criticized resource allocation and
prioritization.
At our global
conference, experts identified critical barriers to success. By examining these
roadblocks, and examining the existing solutions, we can then actively strategize to
learn from what has worked and what hasn’t worked in order to reach MDG 5.