Pregnancy—reducing maternal deaths and disability in Sri Lanka: national strategies

Abstract

The declining trend in the maternal mortality rate (MMR) from the 1930s to the late 1990s resulted from several strategies implemented within and outside the health sector. Expansion of both field-based and institutional services through the past decades contributed to improved geographical access and provision of 'free' services improved economic access. These led to increased use of antenatal and natal services provided by trained midwives and other personnel followed by improvements in the availability of specialized care and emergency obstetric care. Integration of family planning and other inputs to the maternal health programme has yielded positive results. The role of the private sector is limited to provision of a component of antenatal services. The organization for service provision and an information system made significant contributions towards improvement. The commitment of the health sector to provide services free of charge supported by non-health inputs, especially female education, has enabled Sri Lanka to make gains in maternal health.

The trends in maternal mortality between 1996 and 2009 in Guizhou, China: Ethnic differences and associated factors

“…Hospital delivery has been proven to be the most effective way to reduce the maternal mortality [21,22] . The reduction of maternal mortality in Guizhou is also attributed to the improvement of hospital delivery, which is consistent with the results of other studies [9,16,18,23] . The government of China works together with World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Bank, and the United Nations Population Fund to improve the health status of women and children, especially to reduce high maternal and child mortality levels in poor western areas.…”

Determinants for High Maternal Mortality in Multiethnic Populations in Western China

“…Sri Lanka, D.P.R. Korea and Thailand have successfully addressed these issues, thereby substantially decreasing maternal mortality (Fernando, Jayatilleka, & Karunaratna, 2003;Rai & Dali, 2002).…”

Factors determining client satisfaction with hospital‐based perinatal care in Sri Lanka

“…Provision of hospital-based perinatal care has been a major input contributing to the reduction of maternal and neonatal deaths and disabilities in developing countries including Sri Lanka (Adetunji 1994;Fernando et al 2003;Ronsmans et al 2003). With the increasing rates of institutional deliveries, poor countries are now facing a challenge in providing a cost-effective perinatal care service of optimal quality (Jahn et al 2000;Miller et al 2003).…”