Starrs added: “The report also makes clear that this is an affordable goal that will have a dramatic impact in improving the lives of millions of women and families.” She argued that, despite gains in making pregnancy and childbirth safer over the past two decades, “these new findings make clear that universal access to sexual and reproductive health services must remain a global health priority requiring urgent attention”. In addition, more than 500,000 women who are HIV-positive do not receive treatment to prevent transmission of the virus to their child.Īnn Starrs, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, said the report’s key message is that investing in sexual and reproductive healthcare has “huge benefits” for women, and also helps governments and policymakers to reduce their long-term health costs. A total of 43 million women do not deliver in a health centre, 21 million need but do not receive care for complications in pregnancy and childbirth, and 33 million newborn babies who need care for complications do not receive it. The payback would equate to: a 70% drop in unintended pregnancies annually, from 74m to 22m (which would in turn reduce the number of abortions and the number of deaths from unsafe abortions) a 67% drop in maternal deaths, from 290,000 to 96,000 a 77% drop in newborn deaths, from almost 3m to 660,000 and a 93% reduction in mother-to-child HIV transmissions.Īccording to the report, of the 125 million women who give birth each year, 54 million do not make the four antenatal visits recommended by the World Health Organisation. It also includes HIV testing for pregnant women and antiretroviral treatment for those who are HIV-positive, as well as treatment for other sexually transmitted infections. The package includes providing modern methods of contraception for all women who want them, offering the recommended levels of maternal and newborn healthcare, and effective care and support for women whose pregnancies end in miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion. The report, published on Thursday by the Guttmacher Institute and the UN population fund, the UNFPA, says $39.2bn (£20.9bn) a year is needed to provide an essential package of services to all women of reproductive age, typically between 15 and 49.
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