Maternal Mortality Trends in Saudi Arabia: A Review | Chapter 4 | Medical Science: Updates and Prospects Vol. 5

 

Maternal mortality represents a critical indicator of national health system performance and socio-economic development. Despite progress in obstetric care worldwide, maternal mortality remains unequally distributed between high-income and low and middle-income countries. Saudi Arabia has made significant progress in reducing maternal deaths over recent decades; however, persistent clinical, systemic, and socio-cultural challenges continue to influence maternal outcomes. This review provides an updated maternal mortality trends in Saudi Arabia from July 2020 to December 2023. Literature was identified through structured searches of PubMed, Scopus, and WHO/UNICEF repositories using terms such as “maternal mortality, “Saudi Arabia,” “pregnancy complications,” and “obstetric causes of death”. For this narrative review, themes were synthesised qualitatively, and findings were compared across regions, populations (Saudi vs. expatriates), and facility types (primary vs. tertiary care). The findings demonstrate that Saudi Arabia maintains a low maternal mortality ratio (MMR) compared with global averages, with estimates ranging between 7 and 17 deaths per 100,000 live births during the review period. Nonetheless, variations persist between regions due to disparities in access to specialised care, emergency obstetric services, and referral efficiency. Direct obstetric causes such as postpartum haemorrhage and hypertensive disorders remain predominant, while indirect causes such as cardiac disease, obesity, diabetes, and viral infections have increased in relative significance. Additional determinants include late presentation, limited awareness of warning signs, socio-economic inequities, and cultural factors influencing health-seeking behaviour. The review concludes that strengthening maternal services requires expanded midwifery capacity, improved emergency obstetric response systems, standardised national guidelines, and enhanced data reporting mechanisms. Targeted public-health interventions addressing obesity, diabetes, and high-risk pregnancies are crucial. This review provides insightful recommendations for clinicians, policymakers, and researchers aiming to support Saudi Arabia’s continued progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

 

Author(s) Details

Abdulhameed G. Albeshr
King Abdulaziz Medical City for National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

 

Areej F. Alsubaie
King Abdulaziz Medical City for National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

 

Asma A. Alaiban
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Asma A. Alzahrani
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Burouj M. Alqahtani
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Fatimah M. Alshehri
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Hana A. Alsaadoun
King Abdulaziz Dental Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City for National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

 

Hayat M. Almosaad
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Hayat N. Alshammari
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Hend A. Alzamil
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Moneerah M. Alsubieg
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Sarah Y. Alsharif
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Sahar A. Alharbi
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Shahad N. Alghossen
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Shams M. Alqahtani
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Shatha H. Abujabah
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.

 

Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/msup/v5/6961

 

The Promises in Peril-Continuum of Maternal Health Care Services in North Indian Urban Fringe | Chapter 10 | Current Innovations in Disease and Health Research Vol. 6

 Maternal energy is commonly approved as one of the most meaningful and challenging fitness indicators. Targeted MMR still faces important obstacles, mainly by way of the inequality, chance, and accessibility of the continuation of maternal health duties (CMHS). This study was conducted to evaluate the status of exercise, determinants, and satisfaction of /accompanying CMHS in the North Indian urban border. A community-located study including 310 recently brought women (RDWs) was completed activity. A structured questioner-administered questionnaire was used to draw the data through household surveys, and SPSS 26.0 was used to resolve it. Full utilization of antenatal care (ANC), event-natal care (INC), and post-natal care (PNC) were 158 (51%), 228 (73.5%), and 92; (29.7%) individually. Birth order, the husband's instructional level, previous gestation complications, the family construction, the first ANC visit, and the location of the ANC were all important (p<0.05) predictors of full ANC exercise. Significant (p<0.05) predictors of full utilization of INC contained husband and RDWs instruction levels and complications from earlier pregnancies. The husband's age, birth order, and level of instruction were all significant (p<0.05) predictors of entire utilization of PNC. Full exercise of overall CMHS was only 60 (19.4%). More than 70% of RDWs expressed satisfaction accompanying the quality of CMHS. Post-innate care is acting as a obstacle in the adequate Utilization of CMHS. To assuage commitments and reach the target settled by SDG, a systematic approach is necessary to thoroughly check the gaps by population necessities and discover effective solutions fast.

Author(s) Details:

Poonam Kushwaha,
Department of Community Medicine, Rama Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Mandhana, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Saira Mehnaz,
Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

M. A. Ansari,
Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/CIDHR-V6/article/view/11845