5. Improve maternal health
The Population Council developed and launched a comprehensive program in Pakistan, called the Safe Motherhood Applied Research and Training (SMART) project, to reduce maternal mortality. The project educated people, including traditional birth attendants, about pregnancy danger signs and improved access to emergency care. Photo: Population Council
- Reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality ratio
Pregnancy-related conditions are the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age in many developing countries, with an estimated 585,000 women dying from pregnancy-related conditions each year. Much of the Population Council’s work is aimed at understanding the medical and social causes of maternal mortality, improving the health of pregnant women to assure safe pregnancies and childbirths, and enhancing essential and emergency obstetric care in settings where medical care is scarce or quality of care problematic. The Council also seeks to prevent postpartum hemorrhage and infection, reduce violence against women during pregnancy, and ensure that women can manage their own fertility.
Read more about the Population Council's research and programs on safe pregnancy/antenatal and delivery care and postpartum maternal care.
Selected projects
- Community-based Kangaroo Mother Care to Prevent Neonatal and Infant Mortality (2004–2008)
- Enhancing Correct Use of Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) and Postabortion Use of Family Planning in Egypt (2007–2008)
- Reducing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Through Increased Access to Comprehensive Abortion Care and Family Planning Services in Ghana (2006–2011)
- Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN) (2004–2009)
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