Improving reproductive health could save millions of lives: UN

Millions of lives could be saved with more cost-effective investments in sexual and reproductive health care, according to a new United Nations report.

The report, 'Adding it Up: The Benefits of Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health Care', released by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the non-profit Alan Guttmacher Institute, stressed the severe global shortage of contraceptive services and the need for far greater aid from donor countries to address the scarcity of resources.

Diseases related to sexual health, which accounts for as much as a fifth of the worldwide burden of illness and premature death – and nearly a third of illnesses and deaths among women of reproductive age.

The report noted that annual programmes providing contraceptives to 500 million women in poor countries already prevent 187 million unintended pregnancies, 60 million unplanned births, 105 million abortions, 22 million miscarriages, 2.7 million infant deaths and 215,000 pregnancy-related deaths. Those measures also protect 685,000 children from losing their mothers.

By expanding services – at an extra cost of $3.9 billion a year – to all women at risk of unintended pregnancy, an additional 1.5 million women and children would be saved annually.

It has been estimated that for just $144 per year of healthy life, two-thirds of induced abortions and pregnancy-related diseases could be prevented. .

The report also called for increased funding for sexual and reproductive health services, particularly in poor countries, by illustrating the impact of investments in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections as well as measures to secure maternal health.

However, donor countries have fallen far short of the funding commitments made at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, the report added.

(gmcg)