Pregnancy is not a disease. Pregnancy, delivery, and puerperium are natural periods in a woman’s life in which death is not expected.
However, for every 100,000 births each year in the Region of the Americas, 60 women die from avoidable causes related to pregnancy, childbirth, or puerperium.
Maternal mortality is one of the key indicators reflecting a country’s level of development.
Quality data are therefore needed to monitor, evaluate, and focus public policies on preventing these deaths.
Measuring this indicator can be complicated due to underreporting and misclassifications at the national level, requiring international agencies to make adjustments or estimates.
To correct these deficiencies, in 2002, Mexico established the Deliberate Search and Reclassification of Maternal Deaths program (BIRMM, Spanish acronym)
In 2015, 387 cases of incorrectly recorded maternal deaths were reclassified for official statistics.
Currently, Mexico shares this methodology via RELACSIS, enabling countries in the region to produce quality evidence and make effective decisions aimed at reducing maternal mortality.
Because the right to health begins with the right to quality information.
