26th September, 2008
Billions for Credit Crunch - and for Dying Mothers in Africa?
With US$1,000 billion injected by governments to stabilise the world’s money markets in the last week, AMREF asks world leaders who attended the meeting on 25th September if they will now commit the additional US$5 billion required to help save the 225,000 women who die needlessly in Africa each year.
280,000 women die in childbirth or pregnancy every year in Africa. 80% of these deaths are due to complications which could easily be avoided or treated.
But with 80% of Africans living in remote communities with limited health care and an estimated shortfall of 1.5 million trained nurses and health workers in Africa, there is a chronic shortage of medical assistance within reach for pregnant women. This, coupled with a lack of recognition of the danger signs by the women and their families, spells disaster for many of them.
AMREF estimates that the goal of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters by 2015 will not be met without an additional US$5 billion of investment in maternal and child health in Africa. That equates to 0.5% of the investment made by governments in the financial markets in recent days.
“Mothers will continue to die in vain without the relatively small additional medical resources required to educate and treat them”, AMREF Director General Dr Michael Smalley said today.
Dr Smalley was speaking on the eve of the United Nations Summit which will address lack of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals on maternal and child health.
“With trillions found recently to support financial institutions, we urge the world to also find the small additional amount required to help save these women. We don’t question the need for government support in an economic downturn, but we do urge world leaders to show the same commitment to saving mums in Africa” he added.
Notes to Editors
- The UN High level Event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Thursday 25 September 2008.
- AMREF is a member of the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health which is co-organising a special event hosted by three world leaders to examine the urgent need for accelerated progress to reduce maternal and child mortality at the UN on Thursday 25 September to coincide with the Summit. Presidents Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Tarja Halonen of Finland and Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania will call for political action to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 (to reduce by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five) and 5 (to reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality ratio).
- In 1957, three surgeons founded the Flying Doctors Service of East Africa, laying the foundation for what is now one of Africa’s leading health development and research organisations. Today, AMREF implements projects to learn and shares this knowledge with others to advocate for changes in health policy and practice. AMREF’s health care training is focused in remote and marginalised communities where health care is lacking but where 80% of the population lives.
- Somewhere in the world, a woman dies needlessly each minute in pregnancy or childbirth and a child under five dies every three seconds, according to the World Health Organization.
- According to the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health’s 2008 report Tracking Progress in Maternal, Newborn & Child Survival, few of the 68 developing countries that account for 97% of maternal and child deaths worldwide are making adequate progress to achieve the MDGs, with mothers and children in Sub-Saharan Africa being disproportionately at risk.
- The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health’s A global call for G8 Leaders and other donors to champion maternal, newborn and child health (2008) available at http://www.who.int/pmnch/events/2008/g8calltoaction/en/index.html found an estimated shortfall of $10.2 billion of aid for sufficient maternal and child health care worldwide. Although it only has 10% of the population, Africa has almost 50% of the requirement for maternal and child health development.