International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Access to abortions for women is vital in order to reduce maternal mortality.

Amy Levi, a professor of midwifery at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, stated only a few nations around the world allow non-physicians to perform abortions both surgically and medically (with drugs).

Cases of obstetric fistula are on the rise in Uganda, a specialist based in the nation says.

According to health minister Dr Christine Ondoa, neglected labour is the reason for the increase in the condition.

As many as 200,000 women in Uganda are thought to suffer from obstetric fistula, reports Ultimate Media.

A new drive has been launched in Kenya to reduce the nation's child mortality rate.

The 5 and Alive scheme has been announced by the country's government in a bid to create awareness and scale up efforts to enhance child survival.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has claimed a new law against female gential mutilation (FGM) in Iraqi Kurdistan is not being enforced.

A year after the new law was brought in, HRW says the Kurdistan Regional Government has not taken steps to implement it.

Communities must be educated about the effects of female genital mutilation (FGM) in order to stop it from being practiced.

A new research paper has called for obstetric fistula to be included among the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

According to Dr L Lewis Wall of Washington University in St Louis, obstetric fistula fits many of the parameters for a NTD, even though it cannot be passed on to other women.

Jamaica's maternal mortality rate is to remain above the target that has been set as part of the 2015 millennium development goal.

An investment in child mortality has been called for by Unicef.

According to Dr Mickey Chopra, chief health officer at Unicef, the time is ideal to spend money on reducing the number of deaths caused by complications during pregnancy.

Bringing down the maternal mortality rate in Ghana is proving to be a challenge, a healthcare official has admitted.

According to Gloria Quansah Asare, director of the Family Health Division of the Ghana Health Service, a number of factors are leading to women dying during childbirth, Ghana News Agency reports.

A lack of adequate healthcare facilities in Yemen has been blamed for contributing to the deaths of many children.

According to the Charitable Social Reform Society, both pregnant women and infants are often unable to get the treatment they require, Al-Arab reports.

This is leading to many deaths that the group believes could be avoided if adequate facilities were available.