International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Efforts to tackle the stigma attached to HIV in Kenya need to be put in place, an academic has insisted.

According to associate professor Janet Turan of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, pregnant women in the African country are "deeply afraid of the HIV label".

Poor maternal and newborn health outcomes in Africa have been flagged up as a "serious concern" by an official.

Dr Magome Masike, member of the executive council at North West Health, said too many mothers, new babies and children aged under five months are dying.

The stigma of discussing reproductive health in Kenya needs to be eradicated in order to tackle the problem of HIV and Aids in the country.

Family planning services are becoming more commonplace in Uganda, a study has shown.

The 2012 Countdown to 2015 Report found the proportion of women who wanted help with family planning who had their demands met rose to reach 32 per cent, compared with the figures of 24 per cent recorded in Uganda's Demographic Health Survey of 2006.

Efforts to safeguard women's health during childbirth in India appear to be yielding positive results.

According to Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Indian health and family welfare minister, the maternal mortality rate in the country stood at 200 per 100,000 live births during 2010, ZeeNews.com reports.

Healthcare practitioners in Nigeria's Enugu state are being trained in emergency obstetric care skills.

According to Dr Damaris Onwuka of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), this could help to reduce the number of women in the region dying while giving birth.

The Health Service Commission in Lagos State, Nigeria has insisted it is taking steps to save the lives of women during childbirth.

According to Victoria Oloruntegbe, acting director of nursing services at the organisation, world-class maternal and newborn health centres have been set up in the region, the Nation reports.

Women in India who are expecting a baby have been told they need to stay physically active.

According to Dr Ritambhra Bhalla, a gynaecology specialist in Chandigarh, many females in the area are not engaging in any form of physical activity, the Times of India reports.

More needs to be done to tackle maternal mortality in Liberia, a United Nations official has stated.

According to Dr Babatunde Osotimehim, executive director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), efforts to reduce the problem have delivered some good results in recent years.

Authorities in Indonesia have been urged to place more emphasis on offering neonatal check-ups to women.

According to Laurinda Luffman of SOS Children, the country is aiming to cut the number of child deaths by about 66 per cent on 1990's figure.