Maternal deaths have been highlighted in a new report released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners at a conference in Durban, South Africa.
Up to 3.6 million maternal and child deaths could be avoided each year if midwifery services were upgraded, the report says, Reuters reports.
Vincent Fauveau, Senior Maternal Health Advisor with UNFPA, led the drafting of the report.
He said, "Public health advisors and practitioners are not relying on the key health professional that can improve maternal mortality - the midwife.”
Of the nearly 1,000 women who die every day as a result of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, 99 percent live in developing countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.
A woman in Sweden has a roughly 1 in 11,000 chance of dying from pregnancy-related causes, while a woman in Niger faces a 1 in 16 chance during her lifetime.
The first State of the World's Midwifery report was released on 20 June at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) 29th Congress, reports Reuters.
It said most of these deaths, as well as many of the severe illnesses and disabilities caused by childbirth, could be prevented by a proficient, motivated and supported midwifery workforce.
