Last month, the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published a special issue, “Maternal and Neonatal Health in Africa at MDG End: Availability of and Access to Maternal Health Services, and Outcomes of Intervention Strategies.” The series of open access papers discusses the extent to which African countries have invested in maternal and neonatal health programs; facilitators of and barriers to health service utilization; and changes in maternal and neonatal health outcomes during the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) era. The majority of African countries did not meet the targets for MDG4 (reduce child mortality) and MDG5 (improve maternal health) by the end of 2015. Evaluating successes and failures along the way is crucial for developing strategies to achieve the maternal and newborn health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Availability of maternal and neonatal health services
Availability and utilization of obstetric and newborn care in Guinea: A national needs assessment
Men’s behavior surrounding use of contraceptives in Guinea
Use of services and strategies to improve access to maternal health services
Local initiatives to access emergency obstetric and neonatal care in Burkina Faso
Home births in the context of free health care: The case of Kaya health district in Burkina Faso
Determinants of non-medically indicated cesarean deliveries in Burkina Faso
Outcomes of interventions/strategies
Prenatal care and pregnancy outcomes: A cross-sectional study in Luanda, Angola
A case–control study of risk factors for maternal mortality in Burkina Faso in 2014
Initial management of postpartum hemorrhage: A cohort study in Benin and Mali
Factors associated with very early neonatal mortality in Burkina Faso: A matched case–control study
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Read more about the transition from MDGs to SDGs and implications for maternal and newborn health in Africa.
Search other recent publications on global maternal health.