International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

As many as 2,000 women in Madagascar develop obstetric fistula every year, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has said, but only ten facilities in the country are capable of treating the debilitating condition.

US non-profit organisation EngenderHealth has identified several key steps required to achieve a "fistula-free generation", marking the inaugural International Day to End Obstetric Fistula on May 23rd and calling for the continued support of world governments in eradicating the condition.

A non-pneumatic anti-shock garment has been successfully deployed in rural health centres in Cambodia, having saved the lives of two mothers since April, the USAID Better Health Services project has said.

Uganda's high maternal mortality rate is "causing concern", the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has reported, falling short of the nation's Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 target.

Designated by the UN General Assembly last year, the inaugural International Day to End Obstetric Fistula will be held on Thursday (May 23rd) and be commemorated with events and campaign launches around the world, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has announced.

Despite having massively reduced its maternal mortality rate over the last half-century, Malaysia faces a "big challenge" to meet its UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 target, the country's Family Health Development Division director Dr Safurah Jaafar has said.

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.