MDG Five in Timor-Leste

Goal Five: Improve Maternal Health

 

Target: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio

Scorecard for Timor-Leste: Unlikely to reach

Maternal mortality rates remain surprisingly high in Timor-Leste. The existing data indicates approximately 660 mothers out of 100,000 live births died each year during pregnancy and childbirth. This can be explained by the fact that only 34.5% of births were attended by skilled health personnel in 2007.

The situation in 2006 was a little bit worse off compared to 2007, where 27.2% of the births were assisted by skilled health personnel. The situation in rural areas is worse off compared to urban areas, where assisted births were only 32% as opposed to 66% in urban areas. The poor conditions naturally also impacts on the health quality of the babies born. Improvement is currently concentrated on efforts to reduce MMR to approximately 480 in 2010 and 252 in 2015. Better quality and coverage for maternal health care in rural areas, as well as dissemination of knowledge to the community on reproductive health and preventive efforts, antenatal care encompassing pregnancy examination and provision of iron tablets and Vitamin A capsules, mobile clinics to reach isolated areas, and dissemination of the need for family planning will be required if the country were to achieve the set target.

 

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