The promotion of maternal health and mortality reduction is of worldwide importance, and constitutes a vital part of the UN Millennium Development Goals. The highest maternal mortality rates are in developing countries, where global and regional initiatives are needed to improve the systems and...

This chapter provides an overview of maternal and perinatal health in developing countries and presents a synopsis of the subsequent chapters in this book. Maternal deaths represent only a fraction of the burden of ill health and disability faced by millions of women and newborns as a consequence...

The cost of accessing maternity care in low and middle income countries falls heavily on users, contributing to the low uptake of key services such as deliveries in health facilities and limited access to emergency obstetric care. This is a particular challenge for poor households. Different...

To ensure adequate coverage of care for maternal and perinatal health goals, maternity services (of good quality) must be made available. The availability of maternity services is dependent upon the health system and cannot be planned in isolation. Clear policies which draw upon principles of the...

Definitions of quality of care vary, but all recognize the multidimensional nature of quality. Choosing a suitable quality of care framework should be driven by the purpose of assessing quality of care, the setting in which quality improvements are planned, the nature of the interventions and the...

Monitoring and evaluation are essential components of all programmes to improve maternal and perinatal health and to ensure that programme effects and value can be documented. A plan for monitoring and evaluation should be done when programmes are being designed and at the start of implementation,...

Emergency and crises situations are e special circumstances in which maternal and perinatal health programmes are required. Countries that have just gone through a conflict or civil war typically have among the highest maternal and newborn mortality in the world, along with other poor reproductive...

Medical conditions can have a major effect on the woman before, during and after pregnancy, some of which have particular importance to her offspring. The conditions are often exacerbated by pregnancy. Infectious conditions are common in developing country settings, with antenatal care providing an ...