Global health and sustainable development: successes and challenges in maternal health in South Asian countries

Kaosar Afsana

Chapter Chapter 2 in The Intersection of Global Health and Sustainable Development, 2025, pp 11-33 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) establish a roadmap for global development based on national priorities. SDG3, addressing health and well-being, is interwoven with indicators related to health and interconnected with other SDGs. Despite improvement, the world is struggling to attain SDG 3. Maternal death is a key marker of SDG 3, divulging both women’s health and status in a society. This remarkable achievement is reflected in the reduction in maternal deaths worldwide. South Asia witnessed a 59% reduction in the maternal mortality ratio from 2000 to 2017, but still accounts for 19% of global maternal deaths. This chapter aims to present the current status of maternal health in South Asian countries, primarily highlighting Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan as the lagging countries. In the process, I unveil recent developments in policy responses and actions, successes and challenges, and elucidate what research gaps still remain in maternal health in the milieu of the SDGs. To advance maternal health, it is critical to continue identifying research gaps and employing appropriate research methods while addressing issues of health systems, social inequity, and social injustice against women. Only if social justice for women is ensured in all domains will achieving maternal health ever be a goal in the SDG era.

Keywords: Maternal health; South Asia; Sustainable development goals; Health systems; Research gaps (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781800885974
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