Abstract

In 2000, world leaders gathered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to commit to achieving eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015. MDG #5 set the objective of reducing maternal mortality by seventy-five percent. With only five years remaining until the deadline, little progress has been made in reducing maternal mortality in many developing countries. According to the 2008 MDG Goals Report, more than 500,000 women died in 2005 due to complications of childbirth; 86% percent of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. These regions lack the resources and infrastructure to decrease the number of maternal mortality cases. Three strategies have shown to be effective in reducing maternal mortality rates in resource-poor regions of the world: the training of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA), establishing access to local health facilities, and providing low-cost drugs in emergency obstetrics cases. Sadly, many of the maternal deaths in developing countries could have been avoided if these strategies had been implemented. It is unlikely that the MDG #5 goal will be met by 2015; however, resource-poor nations can make significant strides towards reducing maternal deaths by employing these strategies.