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MANILA, Philippines — As the Philippines marked Mother’s Day, the United Nations Population Fund on Sunday called for adequate reproductive health care for women to curb rising mortality rates in the country.
In a statement, Leila Saiji Joudane, country representative of the UN Population Fund, said the Philippines should uphold its commitment to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reduce preventable maternal death to zero.
“With adequate support from health providers, family, and society, giving birth should be a very fulfilling and positive experience for mothers,” she said. “Unfortunately, we see on a daily basis a significant number of women who do not get the support that they need.”
The Philippines is signatory to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aspires to, among others, lower mortality rates to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.
Even so, a woman dies giving birth every two minutes across the world. In the Philippines, Joudane said six to seven Filipino women die every day because of childbirth.