Maternal Mortality Case Study

Maternal Mortality has been on a steady decline in developed countries such as the United States. However, in the under-developed areas maternal mortality rates have remained unusually high. The alarming issue is not a new and emerging topic, however with over half a million women dying each year due to pregnancy complications the issue has become one of great prominence (Hunt & Bueno de Mesquita, 2014). In order to improve the issues changes must be made at the economical, social, political, and cultural level. Thus, the reduction in maternal mortality requires promotion and intervention. Maternal Mortality is defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within two months after termination of pregnancy (Macdorman, Declercq, Cabral & …show more content…
The goal of the border city is to maintain the rates of that of the year 2004. Therefore, keeping the death rate at less than ten deaths per border county. However, in recent years the rates of maternal mortality have increased. The increase has been correlated with the lack of health care for mothers and newborn infants in the El Paso County. According to the health outcomes on maternal and fetal health for the El Paso County it was found that there are only six women’s health clinics that offer services at low or no cost. The Department of Public Health also found that 22.7% of maternal deaths were preventable and most usually due to infection. Lastly, it was found that in 2013, there were only two maternal and fetal medicine doctors who were Texas Medical Board certified residing in the El Paso area (McGladrey, 2016). Therefore, it can be seen why maternal mortality rates are a growing issue in the El Paso County and why the issue is of great …show more content…
However, the rates in the El Paso Region and the United States are not as nearly as high of the country of Pakistan. The majority of maternal deaths result due to complications during childbirth similar to that of the United States, such as hemorrhages and sepsis. The maternal mortality rate is 229 deaths per 100,000 live births. In order to decrease the Maternal Mortality Rate several issues must be addressed such as providing access to specialist, training traditional birth attendants, and decreasing the total fertility rate of the country since the majority of pregnancies are unplanned (Heau & Karti, 2015). Overall, interventions need to focus on the factors at the interpersonal, community, and social level. In addition, interventions need to alter the amount of money spent on maternal health by the country, thus affecting the policy level of the social ecological model of