Amman: The Jordan Center for Disease Control (JCDC) marked World Health Day under the theme “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures”, reaffirming its commitment to improving maternal and newborn health across the kingdom.
According to Jordan News Agency, the JCDC highlighted that World Health Day, observed annually on April 7 since 1950 by the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to spotlight critical public health issues with this year’s emphasis on mothers and newborns. JCDC President Adel Bilbeisi said the occasion serves as an opportunity to reaffirm national efforts to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Jordan. Despite a decline in the maternal mortality rate to 23.7 per 100,000 live births, both communicable and non-communicable diseases remain significant challenges.
He cited WHO data showing that nearly one woman dies every two minutes from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, with global maternal deaths reaching 287,000 annually as of 2023. Bilbeisi referenced several government-led assessments of maternal and newborn health in Jordan, particularly in relation to communicable and non-communicable diseases. These studies, including the 2023 National Maternal Mortality Report, are informing a national action plan to curb such diseases and advance progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
He noted that maternal health in Jordan has improved significantly in recent years, with the 2023 maternal mortality rate dropping from 28 per 100,000 live births in 2022, the lowest figure in six years. However, non-communicable diseases pose an ongoing concern. Data show that 32% of maternal deaths were due to indirect causes, primarily circulatory system diseases and cancers (accounting for 20%). Moreover, 53.7% of the women who died suffered from anemia, with an average hemoglobin level of 10.5 g/dL, compared to 11.5 g/dL among the general pregnant population, underscoring the need for targeted nutritional interventions.
While 86% of pregnant women received at least four antenatal care visits, women who died had fewer checkups, averaging 5.3 visits compared to 6.8 among the broader group, indicating a need to strengthen early detection of infections and chronic conditions. On neonatal health, Jordan recorded a newborn mortality rate of 11.5 per 1,000 live births in 2022 and an under-five mortality rate of 14.2 per 1,000. Immunization coverage reached 97%, demonstrating the success of national vaccination programs in preventing communicable diseases among children.
Bilbeisi outlined a number of recommendations issued by the JCDC to bolster maternal and newborn health from a disease control standpoint. These include enhancing infection prevention in hospitals through strict sterilization protocols, training healthcare personnel in managing postpartum infections, and expanding early screening for conditions like anemia and gestational diabetes. He also called for iron supplementation programs and improved maternal nutrition, as well as efforts to curb excessive cesarean deliveries by establishing national surgical intervention guidelines to reduce infection risks.