Maternal death stat questioned

Irwin Loy

Phnom Penh Post

HOW do you measure maternal deaths? That is the question health experts in Cambodia are facing in light of new research indicating that the rate of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth may be far lower than previously thought.

A study published in the medical journal The Lancet last week suggests that the maternal mortality rate (MMR) has dropped significantly, both globally and in Cambodia. It pegged Cambodia’s MMR at 266 deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2008, far lower than the government’s figure of 461, which is based on 2008 census data.

This number appears to contradict the widely held belief that little statistical progress has been made in curbing the preventable deaths. And domestic health experts, though buoyed by what appears to be positive news about a problem that has long proved intractable, are debating whether it reflects the true nature of the challenge on the ground.

The issue of how to estimate maternal deaths – particularly in developing countries where accurate data may not consistently be recorded – has long been the subject of debate. In this case, the study’s researchers appear to have differed from the government in their view of what should be included in maternal death totals, which provides at least a partial explanation for the lower MMR, experts say.

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