Image: Maternal health (4798750001)

Description: On the 27 April 2010 Sierra Leone launched free healthcare for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children under 5. This mother and baby are part of a crowd of 200 people queuing at 8am for a Children's hospital to open. Many women are not so fortunate to have access to free healthcare. More than a third of a million women die every year from complications during pregnancy and childbirth. For every woman that dies another 20 women suffer from chronic ill-health or disability. India accounts for 20% of all maternal deaths and a woman in India has a 1 in 70 lifetime risk of dying as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. Niger has lower numbers of maternal deaths, with 2.6% of global maternal deaths, but a much higher risk. For example, a woman in Niger has a 1 in 7 lifetime risk of dying as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. Visit www.dfid.gov.uk/rmnh to find out how the UK is helping improve reproductive, maternal and newborn health in developing countries.
Title: Maternal health (4798750001)
Credit: Maternal health
Author: Robert Yates / Department for International Development
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes