Safe Childbirth Checklist Landscape Analysis

Globally, almost 135 million births occurred in 2023 (United Nations Population Division, 2024), and around 285,000 women* die each year due to pregnancy or childbirth-related causes (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024b). According to the WHO, the most frequent causes of maternal mortality are postpartum hemorrhage, infection after childbirth, and high blood pressure during pregnancy. Most of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and most complications that result in maternal death are preventable and treatable with access to high quality care (WHO, n.d.-b).

Every year more than 2 million neonatal deaths occur, and an additional 2 million stillbirths are registered after 28 weeks of pregnancy (WHO, 2024a & UNICEF, 2023). The primary causes of neonatal death are premature birth/low birth weight, birth asphyxia and trauma, neonatal infections, and congenital anomalies (WHO, 2024a). Globally, neonatal death accounts for 47 percent of deaths in children under age 5 (WHO, n.d.-a. & UNICEF, 2024), and an estimated 42 percent of all stillbirths occur during the intrapartum period (Hug et al., 2021). These data suggest that improving access to timely, high-quality care during childbirth and the first days of life would improve health outcomes and reduce the risk of death for women and newborns.

The WHO and Ariadne Labs developed the Safe Childbirth Checklist (SCC) in 2009 to improve outcomes during childbirth, specifically reducing maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality.

Source: USAID
Year: 2024