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Every day, 10 to 12 Filipino women die because of maternity-related cases.
The Philippines has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Asia: 162 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Under the United Nations Millennium Declaration, the Philippines and other member states must drastically reduce the incidence to 52 per 100,000 births by 2015. A UN 2007 report said the country is least likely to meet Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG5) on improving maternal health.
Maternal mortality is a key indicator of women’s health and status.
With five years to go before the Millennium deadline, the task of making motherhood safer remains a huge challenge.
Media can play a vital role in promoting the concept of maternal and reproductive health by providing accurate and relevant reports that will help the general public to better understand this complex health issue. This primer on MDG 5 is an essential tool to help journalists meet this challenge.
PUBLISHED: 2010
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