MANILA, Philippines?The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-Philippines has urged the use of contraceptives to curb the increasing number of maternal deaths as the world body celebrates safe motherhood week.

UNFPA Representative to the Philippines Suneeta Mukherjee called for an immediate ?universal access to contraception? which could cut by 25 to 40 percent cases of maternal deaths.

In the Philippines alone, 11 women die in childbirth every day, an alarming figure that adds up to more than 560,000 annual maternal deaths worldwide, said Mukherjee.

Fifty-three percent of these women are poor, and they are at most risk of death and disability for lack of access to reproductive health care, she said.

?Let us ensure that everyone?especially women, newborn and young people?faces no obstacles accessing and using life-saving and health promoting supplies,? she said.

?A high maternal death rate also indicates that a woman?s fundamental rights to life and health are being violated,? said Mukherjee.

Maternal deaths could be reduced through ?access to skilled care during delivery, and rapid access to quality emergency obstetric care when required,? she said.

Mukerjee urged the Philippines to adopt the strategy of Sri Lanka, where maternal mortality ratio dropped drastically from 555 per 100,000 births in the 1960s to 30 in 1990. This despite that Sri Lanka only had an average annual per capita income of $700, she added.