The recent United Nations (H6) Joint Mission to Liberia has exposed a concerning surge in the deaths of women and newborn babies, shedding light on the urgent need for immediate action to address the escalating maternal and newborn mortality crisis in the country.
During the visitation to Liberia, the delegation uncovered distressing statistics, revealing that an estimated 1,100 women and a staggering 8,510 newborns succumb annually during childbirth in Liberia.
Dr. Anshu Banerjee, the World Health Organization’s Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health and Ageing in Geneva and head of the mission, emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that “no woman should be dying while giving birth.”
The delegation attributed these tragic outcomes to various factors, including inadequate quality of care during childbirth and antenatal care.
Dr. Banerjee outlined a set of targeted measures aimed at curbing maternal and newborn mortality rates.
These measures include improving access to healthcare services, reducing high out-of-pocket expenditures for health services, enhancing health infrastructure, and implementing legal frameworks to address gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, child marriages, and teenage pregnancies.
Meanwhile, Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai, in response to the mission’s findings, expressed his government’s commitment to addressing the crisis, aligning with the ARREST agenda aimed at tackling national issues of paramount importance.
He pledged to prioritize the welfare of women and children and assured that the necessary resources and efforts would be mobilized to reverse the grim statistics.
The UN H6 partnership, comprising various UN agencies, reiterated its unwavering support for Liberia’s healthcare objectives.
They proposed targeted interventions to reduce maternal deaths by 50 percent in four years, newborn deaths by 63 percent in five years, and stillbirths by 50 percent in five years.
Moreover, they stressed the importance of inter-sectoral coordination and alignment with the ARREST agenda, emphasizing the need for increased budget allocation for health and effective expenditure tracking.
The UN H6 partnership affirmed its dedication to assisting Liberia in achieving its healthcare goals, ensuring that no woman dies while giving birth, and that every child has the opportunity to live a healthy life and reach their full potential.
The mission called for collective action and concerted efforts from all stakeholders to address the pressing maternal and newborn mortality crisis and build a resilient healthcare system in Liberia.
