Skilled Birth Attendants

We have trained 694 new Skilled Birth Attendants since 2010.

Nepal’s official national maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is 239 per 100,000 live births, and the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) is 21/1,000 live births (NDHS 2016). This translates to roughly 1,500 maternal deaths and 12,000 newborn deaths every year. At scale in 36 districts of Nepal, our programs would be able to save at least 400 of these mothers and 3,200 of these newborn infants each year. That is a total of 3,600 lives saved every year.

Most of these deaths happen in the remote rural districts of Nepal due to the shortage of appropriately trained health workers (skilled birth attendants), lack of appropriate infrastructure, and poorly allocated governmental resources. Additionally, a severe lack of transportation infrastructure (roads, shipping options, etc.), poor communications, poor socioeconomic status, high illiteracy rates, prevailing caste system, high elevations, and rough terrain further increase the disparities between rural and urban areas.