By TARRENCE TAN and GERARD GIMINO || The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has recorded a significant reduction in its maternal mortality ratio since the 1970s, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said data from the Statistics Department showed that in 2024, there were 25 deaths involving mothers and 6.7 deaths involving infants. This is a sharp decrease from the 1970s, which saw between 70 to 140 maternal deaths and 41.4 infant deaths.
However, Dr Dzulkefly noted that the country’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has continued to decline, dropping from 1.7 children per woman in 2023 to 1.6 in 2024.
“Malaysia has been experiencing a TFR below the replacement level of 2.1 since 2013,” he said in a parliamentary written reply on Wednesday (Jan 21).
Dr Dzulkefly was responding to Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan (Perikatan-Tasek Gelugor), who asked about plans to reduce high-risk pregnancy rates and steps taken to raise awareness.
High-risk pregnancies refer to conditions with a higher probability of complications for the mother, fetus, or both. Medical factors include chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, advanced maternal age (36 and above), obstetric history, and nutritional factors.
To address this, the Health Ministry is utilising the "Safe Motherhood Initiative" (SMI). This approach emphasises integrated and continuous care, focusing on five core areas including pre-pregnancy services, care during pregnancy, delivery by trained personnel, postnatal care, and strengthening health education.
“The implementation of SMI is supported by a two-way referral system between primary health facilities and hospitals. We are also improving infrastructure and utilising information technology to monitor high-risk cases more systematically,” he said.
Dr Dzulkefly added that the ministry is actively raising awareness through health education at facilities, media dissemination, and community programmes involving local leaders.
“Through these comprehensive policies, the ministry is committed to ensuring every pregnancy and birth is safe, contributing to a healthy future generation,” he added.
Source: maternal-mortality-down-significantly-since-1970s-but-fertility-rate-still-dropping
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