Improving maternal health, saving lives
IN the years preceding Merdeka, childbirth was very much an “in-house” affair.
Since gaining independence, Malaysia has made significant progress in improving maternal health and saving lives. In the 1950s, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) stood at 533.9 per 100,000 live births, indicating a high risk of maternal deaths during childbirth. However, since then, the country has worked tirelessly to reduce this figure and enhance the quality of maternal care.
Today, Malaysia boasts an MMR of 24.3 per 100,000 live births, placing it on par with most developed nations and often outperforming them. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a global target of reducing maternal deaths to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, and Malaysia has already achieved this milestone in the 1970s.
The journey to this progress began with the establishment of the nation's first Staff Nurse Midwifery Training School in Penang in 1953. The government also initiated programs to train traditional birth attendants, known as "bidan kampung," to ensure safe childbirth in rural areas. As healthcare initiatives progressed post-independence, more women began accessing medical care during pregnancy and delivering their babies in hospitals.
Dr Nazimah Idris, a clinical professor in obstetrics and gynaecology and former president of the Obstetrical and Gynecological Society of Malaysia, emphasizes the country's achievements and the challenges that remain. While the MMR is low, there is still work to be done, particularly in improving access to maternal health services for women living in remote areas, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
The state of Sabah, for instance, has an MMR of 36.6, which, although still better than the global benchmark, is higher than the national average.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
