background maternal health remains a central policy concern in vietnam. with a commitment to achieving the millennium development goal (mdg) 5 target of maternal mortality rate (mmr) of 70/100 000 by 2015, the ministry of health (moh) issued the national plan for safe motherhood (npsm) 2003-2010. in 2008, reproductive health, including safe motherhood (sm) became a national health target progra...

Background Maternal health remains a central policy concern in Vietnam. With a commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 target of maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 70/100 000 by 2015, the Ministry of Health (MoH) issued the National Plan for Safe Motherhood (NPSM) 2003-2010. In 2008, reproductive health, including safe motherhood (SM) became a national health target progra...

BACKGROUND Maternal health remains a central policy concern in Vietnam. With a commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 target of maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 70/100 000 by 2015, the Ministry of Health (MoH) issued the National Plan for Safe Motherhood (NPSM) 2003-2010. In 2008, reproductive health, including safe motherhood (SM) became a national health target progra...

BACKGROUND The majority of adolescents in Africa experience pregnancy, childbirth and enter motherhood without adequate information about maternal health issues. Information about these issues could help them reduce their pregnancy related health risks. Existing studies have concentrated on adolescents' knowledge of other areas of reproductive health, but little is known about their awareness a...

1130 www.thelancet.com Vol 368 September 30, 2006 The global campaign to reduce maternal mortality was launched in February, 1987, when three UN agencies— UNFPA, the World Bank, and WHO—sponsored the international Safe Motherhood Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. The event aimed to raise awareness about the numbers of women dying each year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and to chal...

BACKGROUND Pakistan has high maternal mortality, particularly in the rural areas. The delay in decision making to seek medical care during obstetric emergencies remains a significant factor in maternal mortality. METHODS We present results from an experimental study in rural Pakistan. Village clusters were randomly assigned to intervention and control arms (16 clusters each). In the intervent...

BACKGROUND In Tanzania, maternal mortality ratio remains unacceptably high at 578/100,000 live births. Despite a high coverage of antenatal care (96%), only 44% of deliveries take place within the formal health services. Still, "Ensure skilled attendant at birth" is acknowledged as one of the most effective interventions to reduce maternal deaths. Exploring the potential of community-based inte...