UNFPA: New Plan to Save Women's Lives in Laos
5 JANUARY 2009 | PAKSE (Lao PDR) - Maternal health improvements are badly needed in Lao PDR, which has one of the highest rates of maternal death in Southeast Asia, and where more than 700 women every year die in pregnancy or childbirth. A new plan focuses on getting more midwives, proper emergency obstetric equipment and sufficient medicine for Lao mothers. It also aims to ensure that women, families and communities know how to make a birth safe and to be prepared to act if and when problems arise. Hosted by the Ministry of Health, some 65 people from provincial and district hospitals, local education institutions, NGOs and the Lao Women’s Union have come to discuss how to implement the plan.