Officially: maternal mortality increases in Uzbekistan

Officially, maternal mortality is increasing in Uzbekistan. The number of cases recorded in the first three quarters of this year is significantly higher than in the same period last year.

This information was mentioned in the report presented by the Minister of Health, Amrillo Inoyatov, today, November 14, in the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.

According to him, from January to September 2023, the maternal mortality rate in Uzbekistan was 14.1% per 100,000 live births, which reflects a 1% increase compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

The increase in the number of maternal deaths compared to 2022 by region is as follows:

•    In the Republic of Karakalpakstan: from 13% to 24.7%.
•    In Andijan region: from 7.9% to 13.6%.
•    In Syrdarya region: from 11.6% to 45.6%.
•    In the city of Tashkent: from 11% to 15.7%.
•    In Samarkand region: from 7.3% to 12.9%.

"This is certainly a significant concern, a major shortcoming. There should not be a single maternal death in the 21st century. We have initiated a lot of practical work to address this," said the Minister of Health.

He informed the deputies that specialists are being brought in from Belarus to help reduce maternal mortality in the country.

"We have brought an obstetrician-gynecologist, a pediatric anesthesiologist-rheumatologist, and a women's anesthesiologist-rheumatologist from Belarus. They will start working this week. Belarus has achieved zero maternal mortality and very low infant mortality rates, so we aim to establish significant cooperation with this country to drastically reduce maternal mortality in 2024," said Amrillo Inoyatov.

The minister mentioned that 7.7 million women of childbearing age were examined, with 3.4 million of them diagnosed with extragenital diseases. Among these, 300,000 received inpatient treatment and 2.4 million received outpatient care.

In the last 9 months of 2023, 716,885 babies were born in Uzbekistan. This shows an increase of 35,000 births or 5.2% compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

Regarding infant mortality, the minister stated that the rate decreased from 8.3% in the first 9 months of 2022 to 7.8% in the same period of 2023.