Sarah Wambui Chege monitors a patient in active labour and listens to the baby's activity at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, a government county referral hospital serving the residents of Nairobi's populous Eastlands area.
Photo credit: WHO/Khadija FarahGlobally each year 287,000 women die in pregnancy or childbirth. Most maternal deaths are caused by severe bleeding, high blood pressure, pregnancy-related infections, complications from unsafe abortion, and underlying conditions that can be aggravated by pregnancy (such as HIV/AIDS and malaria).Most maternal deaths are preventable with access to high quality healthcare.
Ending preventable maternal death must remain at the top of the global agenda.WHO works with a range of partners and national health authorities across its six Regions to strengthen maternal health services for all pregnant women.
Read below powerful stories about a wide range of WHO activities, with many women’s lives being saved, thanks to donors’ support.Working with traditional birth attendants in Latin AmericaMercedes Panamantamba, traditional birth attendant from Otavalo, Ecuador, receives training provided by PAHO on the use of biomedical tools to complement ancestral practices.