Bridging Gaps in Maternal and Neonatal Health: Advancing SDG 3

About the Author: Fehmida Amir is currently a first-year MScN student at the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery. She completed her bachelor’s degree from the same university and is now pursuing her master’s program to further enhance her knowledge and research skills in nursing and healthcare. Throughout her academic journey, she has developed a strong passion for maternal and neonatal health, which has inspired her to focus her studies and future research in this field.

Maternal and neonatal health serves as an essential indicator of health system efficacy and social equality and it is a crucial element of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3), the goal is to guarantee healthy lives and enhance well-being for all individuals, irrespective of age by 2030 (United Nations, 2022). Despite worldwide pledges and tangible advancements, most avoidable maternal and neonatal fatalities continue to be heavily concentrated in these poor countries which are very low and in the middle category of money related matters. The World Health Organization reported approximately 287,000 maternal deaths and nearly two million and thirty lac neonatal fatalities in initial few months of establishment. These ongoing statistics reveal significant disparities in access to quality healthcare and showcase underlying structural inequalities ingrained within health systems. Many of these fatalities could be avoided with prompt, evidence-based interventions; nevertheless, their ongoing incidence indicates systemic shortcomings in the fair provision of care. In Pakistan, these issues are aggravated by differences in access to healthcare between urban and rural areas, a shortage of skilled birth attendants in remote regions and uneven distribution of healthcare resources. Thus, accomplishing SDG 3 necessitates not just turning global pledges into action but also tackling root inequalities in resource allocation, access to services and accountability within health systems. Enhancing maternal and neonatal outcomes is therefore a vital public health concern and an essential measure for promoting global equity.

The primary factors contributing to maternal mortality—hemorrhage, infection, and hypertensive disorders—are widely recognized and mostly preventable with prompt and suitable treatment. Similarly, the primary factors contributing to neonatal mortality are prematurity, birth asphyxia and infection (WHO, 2023). Evidenced based interventions, including quality prenatal care, skilled attendance at labor and postnatal care have proven effective in reducing mortality. Nonetheless, the continued prevalence of elevated mortality rates highlights a considerable divide between understanding and execution, especially in environments with limited resources. In Pakistan, the disparity is evident in issues like inadequate public health resources, a lack of skilled healthcare workers, and delays in obtaining care, particularly within marginalized groups. This gap is not just technical but indicates systemic injustices like insufficient healthcare infrastructure, workforce deficits, and uneven service distribution. Recent findings indicate that healthcare system disruptions, especially during the pandemic of COVID-19, worsened maternal mortality rates among at-risk groups (Michels et al., 2022). Moreover, differences in access to healthcare, quality of services, and availability of resources continue to be significant obstacles (Dandona et al., 2023). Socioeconomic factors like poverty, lack of education and gender inequality exacerbate these issues by hindering prompt access to necessary care. Resolving these challenges necessitates reinforcing primary healthcare systems and guaranteeing that interventions are tailored to the context, culturally relevant, and distributed fairly (UNICEF, 2023)

In conclusion, concrete progress in maternal and neonatal health requires a dual focus: broadening access to care while upholding standards of quality and equity in service delivery.

Achieving sustainable progress and meeting global health targets requires not only stronger healthcare systems but also targeted action on the underlying social determinants of health. Despite existing international efforts, countries such as Pakistan still struggle to meet SDG 3 goals due to persistent disparities in access to and the quality of healthcare services. For progress to last, we need three things: fair distribution of resources, better investment in healthcare facilities and stronger support for frontline workers. Preventing avoidable maternal deaths and delivering equitable care will depend on decisive policy changes and broader access to maternal health services

References‌

• Michels, B. D., Marin, D. F. D., & Iser, B. P. M. (2022). Increment of maternal mortality among admissions for childbirth in low-risk pregnant women in Brazil: Effect of COVID-19 pandemic? Revista Brasileira Ginecologia E Obstetrícia, 44(08), 740–745. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0042-1751059        
• UNICEF. (2023). Neonatal mortality. https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/neonatal-mortality/
• United Nations. (2022). Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good health and well-being. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal3
• Health Organization. (2023). Trends in maternal mortality 2000–2020. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240068759 
• Dandona, R., Kumar, G. A., Majumder, M., Akbar, M., Dora, S. S. P., & Dandona, L. (2023). Poor coverage of quality-adjusted antenatal care services: a population-level assessment by visit and source of antenatal care services in Bihar state of India. The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia, 25, 100332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2023.100332