Reducing maternal mortality in the developing world: sector-wide approaches may be the key
BMJ 2001; 322 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.322.7291.917 (Published 14 April 2001) Cite this as: BMJ 2001;322:917
All rapid responses
Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed. Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles. The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being wilfully misrepresented as published articles or when it is brought to our attention that a response spreads misinformation.
From March 2022, the word limit for rapid responses will be 600 words not including references and author details. We will no longer post responses that exceed this limit.
The word limit for letters selected from posted responses remains 300 words.
Dear Editor,
I was saddened that Goodburn and Campbell’s 1 otherwise admirable
discussion on maternal health in the developing world failed to mention
the product of successful safe childbirth, the baby, even once. The
continuing reluctance of those principally concerned with maternal care to
recognise that a healthy baby is an essential component of maternal
health and wellbeing is disheartening. Phrases liberally used by these
authors such as “all essential components of a health service”, “sector
wide approaches” and “sustainable improvements” would ring hollow to women
whose babies are dead or damaged. Care of the newborn must be viewed as an
integral component of any Safe Motherhood Programme.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Neena Modi MB ChB MD FRCP FRCPCH
Senior Lecturer/Consultant in Neonatal Paediatrics,
Imperial College School of Medicine,
Hammersmith Hospital,
Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN
email n.modi@ic.ac.uk
1 Goodburn E, Campbell O. Reducing maternal mortality in the
developing world: sector-wide approaches may be the key. BMJ 2001 322:917-
920
Competing interests: practising neonatal paediatrician
Competing interests: No competing interests
The principal problem with maternal mortality in poor countries is
not the lack of money, but society's inefficiency in planning, our
incapacity to make changes happen. Large amounts of money and
resources can be made available, but they won´t go to the people who need them because mostly the goverment is worried about different things other
than the health of the population. They try to seem worried than be worried.
The real help will be changing our way of thinking, and that,
nobody but us can do.
While a change in the priorities of the governments, doesn´t hapen,
any program of outside help, will benefit only a group of people that
will enrich themselves with the money sent.
I´m forced to be optimistic, but the principal problem in our
countries is educational; if we don't raise the educational level of our
population, no lasting change will happen.
It´s an endemic problem that affects all areas of development.
Julian López.
Competing interests: No competing interests
SWAP funding in India
FYI, the European Commission is also funding a Euro 200 million SWAP
in India. For basic information, check our website: www.echfwp.com.
Competing interests: No competing interests