14:46 | Lima, Jan. 01 (ANDINA).
The maternal mortality rate in Peru has declined by fifty percent over the past ten years, according to figures released by the country's Ministry of Health.
The number of women who die during childbirth dropped to 93 per 100,000 live births in 2012 from 185 in 2002.
The ministry’s national coordinator for sexual and reproductive health strategy, Lucy del Carpio, said that the South American nation aims to lower the rate to 66 per 100,000 live births as part of the UN Millennium Development Goals.
She explained that lowering the rate even further is a "very difficult" task and requires input from different sectors, such as education, transport and communications, among others.
"When a woman gives birth at home she can lose a lot of blood and even die within two hours because she lives in a remote area and cannot reach a health center in time. And if the baby is born depressed and has no one to take care of him, he simply dies," del Carpio told Andina last week.
According to the health official, Lima has the largest number of maternal deaths given its huge population and the fact that the most seriously ill mothers are taken to the capital city from different parts of the country.
(END) ART/RRC/EEP
Published: 1/1/2014