Worldwide, the majority of maternal and newborn deaths occur around the time of birth, typically within the first 24 hours after childbirth. Most of these deaths are preventable. WHO in collaboration with global partners will now focus on scaling up the implementation of the checklist by providing support to countries and health facilities. WHO's new "Safe Childbirth Checklist and Implementation Guide" targets the major causes of maternal and newborn complications and deaths, including post-partum hemorrhage, infection, obstructed labour, preeclampsia and birth asphyxia.
Of the more than 130 million births occurring each year, an estimated 303 000 result in the mother’s death, 2.6 million in stillbirth, and another 2.7 million in a newborn death within the first 28 days of birth. The majority of these deaths occur in low-resource settings, often lacking skilled birth attendants. “Far…
