Maternal health and the unborn child
Malaysia has experienced dramatic improvements in health in general, and maternal and child health in particular, throughout the post-Independence era. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) halved between 1957 and 1970 when it fell from around 280 to 141 per 100,000 live births. By the 1990s, the MMR declined further and as of 2005, stands at 62 per 100,000 live births*.
Malaysia’s remarkable experience in reducing maternal mortality has been the result of a synergy of interventions addressing access to services through socio-economic, cultural, educational, gender, and poverty dimensions. Malaysia’s remarkable experience in reducing maternal mortality has been the result of a synergy of a wide range of policies, strategies, and programs that have addressed access to services through socio-economic, cultural, educational, gender, and poverty dimensions. The country’s success in reducing maternal mortality reflects improvements in access to quality maternal health services, including family planning; increased professional skills of trained delivery attendants to manage pregnancy and delivery complications; investments in upgrading the quality of essential obstetric care in district hospitals; improved efficiency of referral and feedback systems to prevent delays; close engagement with communities to remove social and cultural constraints and improve acceptability of modern maternal health services; and improved monitoring systems. Sustaining maternal mortality at Malaysia’s current low levels, and reducing it even further will require continued commitment, human and financial resources, and innovative program strategies. The ability to sustain multi-agency support and to keep maternal health high on the policy agenda will require continued advocacy. * Source: State of the World's Children, 2009
SOWC 2009 - Maternal and Newborn Health Millennium Development Goal 5 Indicators Related Links 7 March 2008: 17 October 2007: April 2007: |
