State of Maternal Health in Nicaragua, perspectives post COVID-19

Abstract

The pandemic situation caused by Coronavirus, declared by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2020) in March 2020, could slow down and delay progress in maternal mortality death, which is expected to be reduced to less than 70 deaths per 100 thousand live births (Nv) by 2030, according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN, 2015) target 3.1. From 1990 to 2017, the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR), decreased by 45 percentage points, from 385 to 211 deaths, however, it is still very high and predominant in poor countries with accentuated social inequalities (WHO, 2017). In sub-Saharan Africa, the risk of death from this cause, is 1 in 37 women, while in the developed regions of Europe, New Zealand, Australia and North America, this ratio is 1 in 7,800 women. These contrasts are also noticed within countries, in Nicaragua 6 out of 10 maternal deaths (59%), occur in vulnerable groups, with high incidence of extreme poverty (MINSA, 2018). This pandemic challenges the continuity of global development. Its impact in Nicaragua is minor, compared to countries in the Americas, as of November 2021 totaling 16,877 cases and 209 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2021). However, the effect on the country’s economy will be colossal and could hold back its development, with estimated losses of U$29.5 million (2018-2023), 2.3 times the nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of 2020 (Government of Nicaragua, 2021). This opinion article makes an exploratory analysis of the effect that the coronavirus will have on the evolution of maternal mortality in Nicaragua. Data from United Nations organizations and official sources in the country, processed through Microsoft Excel software, are used.