Abstract
Pakistan is one of the six countries which together contribute to 50% of global maternal deaths. In Pakistan, the maternal mortality ratio was 276 per 100,000 live births in 2006-7 with annual estimate of 16,500 maternal deaths occurring nationally.1 Worldwide, maternal death occurs during childbirth in 11-17% of cases while 50-71% cases occur in the post partum period and majority of these are avoidable. The largest proportion of such deaths are caused by obstetric hemorrhage, followed by eclampsia, sepsis, complications of unsafe abortion and indirect causes including malaria, cardiac and liver diseases. Illiteracy, multiparity, extremes of age and gender discrimination aggravate this situation.
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In September 2000, all 191 UN member states committed to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women in the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are derived from this Declaration.2 The MDG 5, related to improving maternal health, aims to reduce maternal mortality ratio by two thirds by the year 2015. For Pakistan, the target is reduction of MMR to 140 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The indicators for monitoring MDG 5 include antenatal care coverage, proportion of deliveries attended by skilled health personnel, total fertility rate and contraceptive prevalence rate.

Key words: Maternal mortality, infant mortality, postpartum hemorrhage.