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Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), has issued a compelling call to address rising maternal mortality rates across the Americas which includes the Caribbean.
In 2020, Latin America and the Caribbean experienced one maternal death every hour, reversing two decades of progress in maternal health indicators in the region, according to PAHO.
Dr. Barbosa emphasized the severity of these statistics during a PAHO seminar titled “Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths.”
“These figures not only indicate a worsening of outcomes but also a deepening of inequalities and depict unacceptable tragedies that in most cases could be preventable,” Dr. Barbosa stated, stressing the urgency to address this disparity.
“The number of deaths among pregnant women does not align with the level of development of this region,” he added.
PAHO highlighted that the number of maternal deaths does not align with the region’s level of development, indicating a critical need for intervention.
The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed vulnerabilities in the region’s health systems, exacerbating disparities in healthcare access, particularly affecting women. PAHO reported a 15 percent increase in the maternal mortality ratio between 2016 and 2020.
Even before the pandemic, PAHO noted stagnation in maternal mortality ratios in the Americas, hindering progress towards established targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas.
According to PAHO’s Basic Health Indicators updated in 2023, significant strides have been made: over 90 percent of women receive at least four prenatal visits, nearly 97 percent of births occur in health facilities attended by qualified personnel, and coverage of sexual and reproductive health services exceeds 80 percent.
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