Health Benefits and Cost-Effectiveness of Strategies to Reduce Maternal Mortality in Afghanistan
2013
This article, published in Health Policy and Planning, disaggregates data on pregnancies in Afghanistan to evaluate health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of interventions related to childbirth. These interventions include antenatal care, family planning, skilled birth attendance, access to transport, referral facilities, and quality of overall care. Outcomes include pregnancy-related complications, maternal deaths, maternal mortality ratios, costs and cost-effectiveness ratios.
The authors report that increasing family planning would be the most effective individual intervention. The model suggests that increasing contraception use to 60% would reduce deaths by up to one third. Alongside family planning improvements, assuring access to emergency obstetrical care (through skilled attendance, transport, referral, etc.) would prevent three out of four maternal deaths. These results suggest that investments in family planning and emergency obstetrical care can help reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, and ensure that the nation reaches Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG 5).
Health Benefits and Cost-Effectiveness of Strategies to Reduce Maternal Mortality in Afghanistan
Source:
Carvalho N, Salehi AS, Goldie SJ. National and Sub-National Analysis of the Health Benefits and Cost-Effectiveness of Strategies to Reduce Maternal Mortality in Afghanistan. Health Policy and Planning 2013; 28 (1): 62-74. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czs026