The promotion of maternal health and mortality reduction is of worldwide importance, and constitutes a vital part of the UN Millennium Development Goals. The highest maternal mortality rates are in developing countries, where global and regional initiatives are needed to improve the systems and...

This chapter provides an overview of maternal and perinatal health in developing countries and presents a synopsis of the subsequent chapters in this book. Maternal deaths represent only a fraction of the burden of ill health and disability faced by millions of women and newborns as a consequence...

To ensure adequate coverage of care for maternal and perinatal health goals, maternity services (of good quality) must be made available. The availability of maternity services is dependent upon the health system and cannot be planned in isolation. Clear policies which draw upon principles of the...

Definitions of quality of care vary, but all recognize the multidimensional nature of quality. Choosing a suitable quality of care framework should be driven by the purpose of assessing quality of care, the setting in which quality improvements are planned, the nature of the interventions and the...

Monitoring and evaluation are essential components of all programmes to improve maternal and perinatal health and to ensure that programme effects and value can be documented. A plan for monitoring and evaluation should be done when programmes are being designed and at the start of implementation,...

The MDGs are a contract between the developed and the developing world to improve the quality of life in developing countries, laying out the responsibilities of both groups of countries in working towards achieving these goals. Developed countries are expected to provide 0.7% of GNP in official...

Medical conditions can have a major effect on the woman before, during and after pregnancy, some of which have particular importance to her offspring. The conditions are often exacerbated by pregnancy. Infectious conditions are common in developing country settings, with antenatal care providing an ...

The history of measuring maternal mortality reflects eflects the evolution of two broader strategic priorities: maternal health (safe motherhood) and health information systems. Three main periods can be distinguished: mid-1980s to 2000, 2000-2010, and 2010 to the present day, which broadly...

Three different definitions of maternal death should be distinguished: maternal deaths, pregnancy-related deaths and late maternal deaths. Four indicators are used to describe different aspects of the level of maternal mortality: maternal mortality ratio, maternal mortality rate, maternal...

A functioning health system is crucial ucial for maternal health programmes to achieve their goals of improving maternal and perinatal health. The six essential building blocks of a health system are service delivery, health workforce, information, equipment and supplies, financing and leadership...