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Health

Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life.

But if you live in a poor country your chances of living a full span are vastly lower than in the West.

Maternal health

Every year more than half a million women die in childbirth or as a result of becoming pregnant. This means one woman dies every minute. When a woman dies, the chances of her newborn surviving are much lower. More than 4 million babies die each year within their first month of life.

Ninety nine per cent of maternal deaths are in developing countries. This is why we are working hard to improve the health of women. We are already making it easier for poor women to see a midwife or doctor, get emergency treatment during their labour, and choose if and when they become pregnant.

To make pregnancy and childbirth safer, and prevent the many deaths from unsafe abortion, we must tackle the ‘three delays’:

  • The time it takes to decide whether to get help
  • The transport problems women face in going for help
  • The lack of skilled staff once they arrive at the health centre or hospital.

These are the issues that can make the difference between life and death.

In the long run, women must be able to choose how they run their own lives. But first we must raise their status in society. Better healthcare and education are vital for achieving this.

What DFID is doing

Between 2002 and 2007 DFID spent £1.88 billion on health, a large slice going to improving women's healthcare. We support agencies such as United Nations Population Fund and the World Health Organization that are committed to women's health.

DFID's maternal health strategy sets out DFID's four main priorities.

  • Raise the profile of maternal health
  • Support the health systems of developing countries to deliver more effective maternal health services
  • Address wider social and economic barriers to maternal health – including focusing on promoting women's status and rights.
  • Develop and apply more knowledge - undertake new research and communicate new and existing research

An estimated 32% of maternal deaths could be averted through family planning. It is one of the most cost-effective interventions in public health. Research has shown that every $1 million spent on family planning can avert 360,000 unwanted pregnancies, prevent 150,000 induced abortions and save the lives of 800 mothers and 11,000 infants. We are working with other like-minded donors (particularly in the EU), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Hewlett Foundation to increase global support to family planning.

13% of all maternal deaths are caused by unsafe abortion – this means that around 70,000 women (often the youngest and most vulnerable) are dying needlessly each year. Abortion remains one of the most politically contentious issues of our time and extreme divisions of views on women’s reproductive rights have constrained an effective global response. DFID is one of the few donors to actively support efforts to prevent unsafe abortion and plays a leading role in focussing attention – and challenging policies – on the issue.

Links

Maternity hospital

Women and babies in a DFID funded maternity clinic in Nepal which has a high prevalence of maternal mortality.

The death of a mother deprives a child, a family, a community and ultimately a country of one of its most valuable sources of health, happiness and prosperity.

Douglas Alexander Secretary of State

Fighting Poverty Index