Nevertheless, this is a journey with a long road ahead. The fact is the MMR must be brought down further to 70 deaths per 100,000 by 2030 if Pakistan is to meet Sustainable Development Goal 3.1. Several changes must be effected in order to bring this about. For one, the fact that 29pc of live births still take place at home places mothers and babies at risk in case of any complications. The most common complications that women reported experiencing during delivery are prolonged labour pains, laceration in the vagina, the baby did not breath and the baby was in breech position. Delay in reaching health facilities is among the leading causes of MMR: this is also borne out by the fact that the MMR ratio is 26pc higher in the rural areas, with its far from optimum health delivery mechanisms, than in urban areas. The differences in MMR between various parts of the country also show massive disparity. For example, in Balochistan 298 women in 100,000 live births die, while the figure in Punjab is 157 per 100,000 live births. MMR is one part of a bigger picture showing Pakistan’s lack of investment in its human resource. Perhaps this survey can help change that in one crucial aspect.
Dawn
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