WHO Worried about Risks to Mothers and Babies

Itar-Tass, 7 April 1998

GENEVA, April 7 (Itar-Tass)—The World Health Organisation has published statistics showing that the mother-and-baby health situation is alarming in the former Soviet republics. It is much worse than in the western states.

The report points out that the risk of death from complications connected with pregnancy and child-bearing in Russia is 5.5 times greater than in the United States, eight times greater than in the United Kingdom, and 12.5 times greater than in Canada.

The expecting mothers in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Singapore, Cyprus and Barbados are in a much safer situation than in the Russian Federation, according to the report.

In Russia, one in every 620 childbearing women runs the risk of death from complications, WHO experts said. The situation is somewhat better in Armenia(1/640), Azerbaijan (1/1,400), Byeloruussia (1/1300), Georgia (1/1.100), Ukraine (1/930), Latvia (1/1,100), Lithuania (1/1, 200) and Estonia (1/1,200).

The situation is worse in Moldavia (1/580), Kazakhstan (1/370), Kirghyzia (1/190), Tajikistan (1/120), Turkmenia (1/350) and Uzbekistan (1/370).

Some 600,000 women die every year of complications connected with pregnancy and child bearing. Almost 90 percent of such deaths occur in Asia and African countries south of Sahara, according to the World Health Organisation report published to coincide with the day marking the Organisation's 50th anniversary.

The World Health Organisation called on the international community to allocate additional financial resources to protect expecting mothers and review the situation of women in society, including their access to resources, education and healthcare.