Highest maternal mortality in the world in Northeastern Afghanistan
For almost 16 babies born, one woman will die in labour. As a country, Afghanistan is ranked second in the world for maternal mortality rates after Sierra Leone. But health professionals in the province are optimistic that a new project is reducing the numbers of deaths.
A midwife trainee programme, run by the Aga Khan Health Services, selects bright young women from districts across the province. The students take an 18 month course in the provincial capital, Fayzabad, before returning to their villages as trained midwives. About 50 women have graduated from the programme since it started in 2005 – Article by Martin Patience BBC News, Badakshan, northern Afghanistan, 4 October 2008
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