Covid-19 is the leading cause of maternal deaths in 2020, a joint report by the Ministry of Health and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) revealed Sunday.
The 2020 National Maternal Mortality Report, released for the third year in a row under the USAID’s Quality Health Care Project (QHCP), showed data on the mortality of mothers in 2020 and highlighted areas that should be prioritized and improved to prevent avoidable deaths. It signaled a rise in the maternal mortality rate in Jordan to 38.5 deaths for every 100,000 live births, compared to 32.4 deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2019.
The data and findings presented in the report were taken from Jordan’s Maternal Mortality Surveillance and Response (JMMSR) system, implemented by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the USAID Health Service Delivery since 2018. The system has enhanced national efforts to monitor the real mortality rate of mothers in Jordan, and thus enabled the Kingdom to draw up rapid response plans to curb the numbers of preventable deaths.
Health Minister Firas Hawari said national maternity programs aim at reducing maternity deaths and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, adding that Jordan, over the past decade, has made great strides in upgrading maternity and childhood services. He highlighted the ministry’s commitment to decreasing maternal and child deaths with the aim of offering a “flourishing life for Jordanian families.”
Hawari commended the efforts exerted by the USAID and the QHCP, in addition to forensic medicine departments, government and private hospitals and the Royal Medical Services.
“The United States governments and Jordan are dedicating their efforts to improve the quality of life for Jordanian families, namely through upgrading the quality of health services provided in intensive care units and reducing maternal preventable deaths”, said USAID Mission Director Sherry Carlin. The project, she indicated, will also support the Health Ministry’s efforts to turn the results of the report into impactful response plans and strategies based on updated data.
“Our response will be joint and comprehensive, focusing on effectively and swiftly treating Covid-19 cases among women and children to curb the numbers of preventable deaths”, she added.
Source: Jordan News Agency