UN's Progress in Enhancing Maternal Health - Essay Example

The paper "UNs Progress in Enhancing Maternal Health" is an outstanding example of an essay on health sciences and medicine. “On September 2000, the United Nations launched its list of eight development goals to achieve by 2015 (UNESC 1). The fifth MDG outlined by the UN was to improve maternal health. A detailed assessment of the UN’s progress in promoting maternal health is imperative and informs future development policies in the health sector. It is essential to examine the UN’s set targets for its fifth development goal.
The UN set distinct targets for every goal; it focused to achieve two vital targets of the fifth goal by 2015. First, it aimed at enhancing measures that would lower the maternal mortality rate by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015 (UN 28). The second target of the UN on its fifth goal aimed at promoting universal access and increase the women population receiving reproductive health services. It further set indicators for achieving the two targets. Indictors of the goal include maternal mortality ratio and the census of births attended to by qualified care professionals. An analysis of relevant reports on the progress is important.
The UN and other institutions publish regular reports on its progress in attaining set targets to promote maternal health. According to the World Bank, there is steady progress in maternal death reduction based on reports by UN agencies (The World Bank 1). In 2013, for instance, there were 289 000 maternal deaths. The statistics represent a 45 percent reduction in maternal deaths from 523 000 deaths recorded in 1990. Based on the UN report on the MDGs, Eastern and Southern Asia as well as Northern Africa regions realized a decline in maternal mortality by nearly two thirds by 2013. Eastern Asia region had a reduced rate of 69 percent; being the highest in maternal mortality reduction (UN 29). Similar reports show trends in women’s access to antenatal services.
UN reports show that half of the pregnant women in developing countries could access the four antenatal services that meet the recommendations by health professionals, by 2013. Report by the UN shows a record decrease in maternal mortality by 47 percent during the period from 1990 to 2010. In every 100, 000 live births, there were 210 maternal deaths in 2010. This was a reduction from 400 cases of maternal deaths reported in 1990 (UN 28). Improving maternal health is a vital agenda for all countries.
The UN recognizes the necessity to improve maternal health and its vitality as an aspect of development. The fifth development goal set by the UN in September 2000 is attainable. Accelerated interventions by all stakeholders are necessary to realize the UN’s three quarter ratio target”.