1811 N. Korea's maternity mortality rate 8 times higher than S. Korea's

N. Korea's maternity mortality rate 8 times higher than S. Korea's

N. Korea's maternity mortality rate 8 times higher than S. Korea's
Posted : 2018-11-20 18:36
Updated : 2018-11-20 18:45

By Kim Hyun-bin

Health and welfare conditions in North Korea have turned for the worse in recent years, especially for pregnant women and infants, according to a report, Tuesday.

The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) said the report, based on the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) 2017 World Population Report, showed the North's maternity mortality rate stood at 82 in 100,000.

Maternity mortality is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of the termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes."

The figure is nearly eight times that of South Korea's, which stood at 11; and even is even higher than the regime's 2008 figure of 77.2.

More than 50 percent of the deaths occur when women are giving birth, or from postpartum bleeding, septicemia and pregnancy-induced hypertension. The fatality rate during abortions is also high.

The report noted that one of the main causes of death in North Korea was the unavailability of immediate treatment, with 42 percent of clinics in rural regions not having appropriate equipment including defibrillators, and nearly half lacking analgesics and antibiotics.

According to a 2013 WHO report, one third of women in North Korea of childbearing age suffered from anemia ― and these were comprised of 39 percent of women in their 40s, 30.2 percent in their 30s and 31.8 percent in their 20s. The rates were up to 3.6 times higher than those of South Korean women in their respective age groups.

More than 20 percent of North Korean women of childbearing age also suffered from malnutrition.

"People born in the mid-1990s in North Korea, dubbed the arduous march period, were unable to receive proper nutrition during their childhood, which limited their growth. We believe that low nutrition has a high correlation to the high maternity deaths," the KIHASA report said.

The maternity death rate spiked in North Korea after the international community halted all medical aid due to sanctions slapped on the regime for its development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The regime's infant death rate is also high, although it has seen a decline over the last two decades. In 1998, 92.3 out of every 1,000 children died, but the figure dropped to 76.8 in 2000, 41.4 in 2009 and 36.8 in 2012.

However, only 26.5 percent of infants in the North were receiving the right nutrients and this varied drastically between regions.

"North Korea cannot handle health issues on its own, so aid for the country's pregnant women, infants and children should be considered as a separate issue from political circumstances. International organizations, the South Korean government and civic groups need to work together to bring about practical results," the report stated.