WHO calls avoidable maternal deaths ‘shameful’

Each year more than 30,000 women in the Western Pacific Region die unnecessarily due to pregnancy-related conditions, according to the World Health Organization.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today labeled as "shameful" the fact that 90 percent of maternal deaths in the Western Pacific Region could be avoided if a woman’s right to good health would be properly met.

WHO said that more than 100 women in the region die from pregnancy-related deaths each day and, unless drastic measures are taken, the number of tragedies of this kind will continue to rise. The WHO figures singled out Cambodia and the Lao People's Democratic Republic

"It is shameful that despite the Region's rapid economic growth, a large—and growing—number of women are still excluded from the fruits of this progress," said Dr. Shin Young-soo, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, in a written statement. "Good health is a universal right, not a privilege. Taking on this issue will be at the top of our agenda in the Western Pacific."

Numerous obstacles, including societal discrimination and limited access to health services, combine to deprive women of this right. A further challenge is the low level of education provided to women on average despite the fact that improved education for women has been found to produce better health outcomes for themselves and the generations that follow.