The move comes as the mortality rate of infants among ethnic groups in the far-flung areas remains high while due attention has yet to have been paid to caring for pregnant and post-natal women, new-borns and children in these areas.
A 2006-2007 survey showed that maternity-related deaths in mountainous localities accounted for 81.5% that of the entire nation. The figure was 81.2% in 2013 and 2014.
The mortality rate among children under the age of one and five years in mountainous areas is also the highest in the country, with little progress made in recent years.
Statistics released at a workshop in Hanoi on August 25 showed that in Vietnam, the maternal mortality rate decreased from 233 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 69 per 100,000 in 2010. Meanwhile, the mortality rate of children under one-year fell from 44.4% in 1990 to 14.9% in 2014.
However, it is estimated that there are still 580-600 maternal deaths and over 10,000 infant deaths in the nation each year.
Therefore, in the time ahead, the health ministry will help women nationwide to gain easier access to quality reproductive health services, while improving the quality of emergency aid and treatment for women and children.
NDO
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