JEDDAH – The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the maternal mortality rate in Saudi Arabia during pregnancy, childbirth and 40 days after birth of the year 2015 reached 72 deaths per 100 thousand women. The report pointed that such cases fall within the normal mortality rate, which is “42-120” cases.
The report also explained that “the maternal mortality rate in the Kingdom for pregnant women after giving birth to healthy babies” was 12 cases per 100,000 women over the past year, equivalent to 16 percent of the total number of maternal deaths.”
Consultant of obstetrics and gynecology, infertility, disease, and Director of Training and Medical Education at the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Hospital in Madinah Dr. Obaid Al-Harbi attributed the main causes of maternal deaths during childbirth to delayed blood transfusion to women when bleeding.
According to Dr. Al-Harbi, the causes of maternal death vary from one case to another. “As we see in some cases we focus on one symptom and something else occurs during birth. Also, causes vary from region to region, and race to another in the Kingdom.”
Dr. Al-Harbi explained, “WHO statistics show that the rate of maternal mortality around the world reported are 830 deaths a day, which is high according to the organization.”
