2024-01-11 18:18:28
The number of women who die during pregnancy or shortly following giving birth is at its highest level in the United Kingdom for almost 20 years, with strong geographical and ethnic inequalities, according to a study published on Thursday.
According to the MBRRACE-UK national epidemiological survey carried out by a research unit attached mainly to the universities of Oxford and Leicester and which collects data on maternal deaths, infant deaths or on children born dead, there have been 13.41 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies over the period 2020-2022, primarily due to thromboses and thromboembolism.
This is the highest since the 2003-2005 period.
Excluding deaths linked to Covid-19 – the second most common cause over the period – the maternal mortality rate stands at 11.54 per 100,000 pregnancies, an increase of 31% compared to that of 2017/19.
The United Kingdom, however, maintains one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world, slightly higher than that of France (around 8 per 100,000 according to the UN) or Canada (9).
The study comes following a series of scandals in recent years involving public health service maternity wards where inadequate care has led to dozens of preventable deaths of babies and mothers.
“Source of new concerns” regarding the state of the British health system
The MBRRACE-UK report allowed “to identify clear examples of maternity wards under pressure”, underlines Marian Knight, director of the national perinatal epidemiology unit, and the increase in maternal mortality is “source of new concerns” regarding the state of the British healthcare system.
“Ensuring (women’s) health before pregnancy, in particular by tackling pathologies such as overweight and obesity, and providing more inclusive and personalized care must more than ever be a priority,” she pleaded.
Compared to white women, black women are three times more likely to die before or within six weeks of giving birth.
Compared to white women, black women are three times more likely to die
Women living in the most deprived areas of the UK, for their part, are twice as likely to lose their lives compared to those living in the most advantaged areas.
A spokesperson for the NHS in England acknowledged that “additional measures were necessary”, emphasizing that the public health system had already increased its investments by several hundred million pounds to improve care in maternity hospitals.
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