International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

The global rate of decline in maternal mortality rates, which is currently recorded at three per cent per year, will "need to double" in order to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 target, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

Maternal and infant mortality rates are significantly higher in girls married before the age of 18, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego said that a ten per cent reduction in child marriage could be linked to a 70 per cent decline in a country's maternal mortality rate.

The Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI) has announced that it aims to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the country by 50 per cent over a five-year period.

The Nigerian federal government has launched a new initiative that rewards pregnant and nursing mothers who seek out maternal healthcare by paying them "various sums of money", it has been reported.

Maternal mortality in Ghana's Ashanti Region is on the increase, with the area currently recording 315 deaths per 100,000 live births compared with just 190 in 2010 - well above its UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 target of 185 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015.

The region leads the country in terms of maternal deaths, the Ghanaian Chronicle reported.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) have announced the Maternal Health Initiative, which aims to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in the US by 50 per cent.

Caesarean sections at Za'atari camp, which is the temporary home to 120,000 Syrian refugees, are carried out by a single capable surgeon, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has reported.

Rural district hospitals in Zimbabwe are set to benefit from 63 new ambulances, which will be delivered to the country's Ministry of Health on Friday (May 10th) as part of a $13 million project funded by the European Union.

"Hidden costs" mean that pregnant women in Ghana are discouraged from accessing free maternal healthcare, a new survey has found.

New data published by the Registrar General of India shows that "remarkable decline" has been achieved in maternal mortality rates for the central state of Madhya Pradesh, largely thanks to the effective implementation of maternal safety programmes in the last ten years.