G-8 urged to intensify efforts on improving women and children’s health

LONDON - An internationally renowned medical researcher in obstetrics and gynecology has said that governments and other organizations must intensify efforts to improve the health of women and children, particularly in the developing world where the lion’s share of deaths occur.

According to Dr. Philip Baker, the lead author on a G-8 positioning paper that included consultations with 20 of the world’s leading medical experts on women and children’s health, academies of science of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States have issued a joint set of recommendations for the upcoming G-8 summit on how to achieve these goals.

“The health of families, communities and economies is inextricably tied to the health of women - yet every 100 seconds, a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth somewhere in the world. Mother and child outcomes are closely linked. Reducing maternal mortality is critical and is also a priority for improving child health,” the BBC quotes the paper, as saying.

Some of its recommendations include the following:

Governments and other organizations must increase funding and resources for maternal and child health.

Health facilities and staffing need strengthening.

Strategies to improve maternal health should facilitate access to contraception services and measures to reduce unsafe abortion.

Policies which protect women and children from all forms of abuse, injury, exploitation and violence must be promoted.

Maternal and child health research needs strengthening, especially in knowledge translation.

The summit is being hosted by Canada in June. (ANI)