SOS Malta participates in 'Save Women's Lives' Campaign

By Rachel Zammit Cutajar

Complications due to pregnancy and childbirth are causing the death of over half a million people every year, 99% of which are in the developing world

The overall objective of the project is to contribute towards reducing poverty by promoting maternal health, influencing public opinion and enhancing support among decision makers as a key to reaching MDG5 by 2015.

SOS Malta says the death of over half a million women of complications due to pregnancy and childbirth can be avoided if basic human rights are observed. 99% of deaths arising from maternal health complications occur the developing world. "Maternal health is central to women’s overall health and affects a much broader spectrum of people. Healthy women contribute to health and well being of their children, families, communities and nations" SOS Malta said. 

Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDV5) deals with improving maternal health, by reducing the maternal mortality ration by three quarters between the year the goals were decided upon, 1990 and 2015. MDG5 is also attempting to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015.

The United Nations have pledged to eradicate poverty throughout the world by setting eight international Millennium Development Goals which the 192 member states and 23 international organisations intend to achieve by 2015.

They include eradicating extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS and developing a global partnership for development.

While countries like China and India are coming close to achieving their development goals sub-Saharan Africa still lags far behind. The risk of a woman dying as the result of pregnancy or childbirth during her lifetime is one in 26 compared with one in 11,000 in Western Europe. Although these deaths are majorly preventable MDG5 is the one towards which least progress has been made.