Death every two minutes worldwide due to maternal care failure, shocking new characters reveal once

A woman dies every two minutes from a failure in maternal health care due to shocking global data, which raises serious warnings about the impact of cuts on U.S. and UK funding.

A new World Health Organization (WHO) report revealed that 260,000 pregnant women died in 2023, equaling 712 women per day or 30 women per hour – the vast majority in sub-Saharan Africa.

The WHO warned that all UN member states’ global target to reduce maternal deaths – to 71 per 100,000 by 2030), which would be more than double that amount, as “the pace of progress has slowed to nearly stagnation.”

Major health organizations, including WO, warn that recent international aid to the U.S. government cuts over 595 million pounds ($770 million) of maternal health and family planning will likely “transfer backward” in the progress of reducing maternal deaths, defined as any deaths occurring within six weeks of pregnancy or within six weeks after pregnancy ends.

“This funding not only cuts the risk of this progress, but we can turn backwards,” Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General of WHO General Health Reports, said in a press conference. He said the cuts have “affected access to life-saving supplies and medications, especially treatments for some of the major causes of maternal deaths.”

“The first thing they've seen is that countries have laid off employees, or are not hiring, or they are slowing down spending on healthy workers … that's a real problem,” he added.

About 60 countries around the world rely on US-funded maternal care programs and family planning services, mainly concentrated in Africa and South Asia.

These programs also provide funding for midwives in areas where basic maternal care is lacking. Reports from on-site sources show that the cancellation of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s contract has caused some midwives to lose their income streams, leaving women in the region without safe care during pregnancy.

But it's not just the United States: Cutting aid is happening. In February, Prime Minister Sir Kyle Starmer announced that the government would cut aid spending from 0.5 per cent of national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027, cutting about £6 billion to cover the cost of defence expenditure.

The news comes after the Government International Development Commission (IDC) warned that the impact of UK aid cuts on women and girls has been “destructive” and that young girls in Sudan are more likely to die during pregnancy than finishing school. Labour MP Sarah Champion, chairman of IDC, told independent: “I remain deeply concerned that the cuts in aid will seriously hit women's health and undermine all the difficult progress around the world.”

She added: “Preventing maternal deaths is not a medical mystery; we can end them with political commitment and financial investment. Realizing the right to safe pregnancy and childbirth requires continued efforts to improve the quality of care, and must be supported by sufficient financial resources and supportive laws… Weak health systems and new and new human crises have left the human crisis in a few countries, even in some countries, even in trouble.

Sub-Saharan Africa and India have the highest death rate

New figures show that one of 36 15-year-old girls in West Africa is at risk of maternal death. By comparison, there are 16,000 in the entire Southern Europe.

Since 2000, the global maternal mortality rate has dropped by 40%, from 328% per 100,000 live births to 197% in 2023. However, these figures reveal inequality in high-income countries and low-income countries.

Dr. Pascale Allotey, Director of the WHO's Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health, warned: “Despite the progress has been made since 2000, the pace of progress has slowed to a stagnant state. In some areas, we have slipped backwards. In this fragile context, in this dangerous situation, there are dangers that are full of dangers…When women die, they will die, where they make money, or are poor, or are poor, or are poor, or are poor, or are poor, or are poor, or are poor, or are poor.

According to the report, half of all maternal deaths in 2023 were recorded in Nigeria, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Pakistan. Nigeria alone accounts for one-third of the deaths, with about 75,000 deaths, while 70% of the deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

The major global international organizations of the United Nations Population Fund (HUFPA) focus on women's reproductive health and warn that recent U.S. funding cuts in aid would have the potential to increase maternal mortality.

UNFPA estimates show that £71 million ($92 million) of U.S. aid is allocated in Nigeria, with the highest death rate. UNPFA itself lost £291 million ($377 million) in grants after the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) cuts.

Julia Bunting, UNFPA Program Director, told independent This is despite the progress made in the global maternal deaths, but it is “never fast enough.” “We know that since 2000, maternal mortality has dropped by 40%, but… progress has been unbalanced and slowed down,” she said.

She added: “These lives can be saved…it's not just a health issue. It's a right; it's a justice issue. We believe that every woman should be in childbirth…we know how to prevent these deaths: skilled midwife, quality care and political commitment, we can save a lot of desperately needed investments, so we already have an investment that has made Revers ready-made, and another thing.

Although Monica Ferro, director of the organization's London Office, confirmed that the UK has not yet received funding cuts from the UK, the UK Agency for International Development (USAID) has cut its funding, but the UK has not cut its funding, its second largest donor.

But, she warned: “Slashing funds, increasing frequency of conflict and the impact of climate change means that pregnant women have no access to lifesaving care, and gender-based violence is increasing. We cannot give up on women and girls who need us the most.”

The Cabinet Office was commented.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “We are committed to defending and promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights and we will continue to work with international partners to support women and girls.

“Aid is just one way we support this effort and we will continue to leverage targeted funding and diplomatic involvement to provide leadership for gender issues and maternal health.

“Protecting our national security is the primary responsibility of any government and doing so requires difficult and necessary decisions to reduce our aid spending.”

A U.S. State Department spokesman said the U.S. government has provided long-term support for lifesaving and child health services, with the vast majority (more than 90%) of all maternal and child deaths occurring.

The report was produced as an independent part Rethinking Global Aid project