According to a report by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) published by the World Health Organization (WHO), there are still too many maternal and infant deaths.
The report states: "Despite significant advances over the past decades, the detailed analysis shows that an estimated 350,000 to 500,000 women still die in childbirth each year; some 3.6 million newborns fail to survive the first month, and an additional 5.2 million children die before the age of five."
It wants to lower the mortality rate in developing countries by 2015 in step with the goal set back in 2000 by the UN as one of eight Millennium Goals. Efforts are primarily focused on 68 countries, particularly in Africa. Despite enormous progress, efforts need to be renewed.
The report adds: "It shows progress has lagged mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where an estimated 82 percent of maternal, newborn, and child deaths take place."
For now, 135 countries have infant mortality rates below 40 per 1,000 births, but 39 nations have not made sufficient progress. Worse still, 18 countries have actually regressed.