Increase in Maternal Deaths Is Marked by Racial and Regional Inequalities - 15/03/2023 - Science and Health - Folha
▻https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/scienceandhealth/2023/03/increase-in-maternal-deaths-is-marked-by-racial-and-regional-ineq
Even with a public policy focused on maternal and child health for more than a decade, Brazil has failed to reduce racial and regional inequalities associated with maternal deaths, which were aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Preliminary data show that in 2019 and 2021, the MMR (maternal mortality ratio) increased in all groups, including among white women, who, historically, are less affected compared to black, brown, and indigenous women.
Analysis by Vital Strategies, based on information systems from the Ministry of Health, reveals that, between 2018 and 2021, the MMR among white women increased from 49.9 to 118.6 deaths per 100,000 live births. The hypothesis is that the increase is related to the collapse faced by hospitals, denial of preventive measures, and initial resistance to vaccinating pregnant women. In the same period, among black women, the MMR went from 104 to 190.8 deaths per 100,000, the highest among all groups. Among brown women, it went from 55.5 to 96.5, and among indigenous women, from 99 to 149.