The Afghanistan Mortality Survey (AMS) 2010, sponsored by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the US Government, and the British Department for International Development, revealed that over the past five years, maternal and infant mortality has declined dramatically in Afghanistan. According to the research, there are “500 deaths per 100,000 live births,” as compared to 2005 when 1,800 women died per every 100,000 births, according to a UN study.
Suraya Dalil, acting Minister of Health, stated, the survey “shows that our strategies on educating midwives on emergency obstetric care, on family planning have worked. However, it also tells us that there is a long way ahead of us, and we have many challenges ahead.”
Despite these improvements, the survey notes that “Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a pregnant woman or a young child,” with one out of every ten children dying before reaching their fifth birthday. Moreover, Afghan women are 200 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than from bombings or bullets.
