Maternal mortality in rural Bangladesh: Lessons learned from gonoshasthaya Kendra programme villages

Bangladesh has made significant strides towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); however, the scorecard on maternal health falls short of expectations. According to the MDG target, Bangladesh is expected to reduce the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) from around 574 maternal deaths due to pregnancy and childbirth-related complications per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 143 by 2015. Despite some progress, only 44 per cent of this target was achieved by 2000. An additional 56 per cent reduction has to be achieved to meet the MDG target in less than a decade. MMR was estimated to be around 320 per 100,000 live births during 1998-2000 (NIPORT and Johns Hopkins University, 2003). An estimated 14,000 Bangladeshi women die from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications per year (UNFPA, 2006).