Prioritise health of women and children for a safe future

The last few months have proven to be catastrophic for global health and development.

- Rajat Khosla

Sector-wide funding cuts and a lack of alternative options, and a pushback on critical rights, threaten the gains made over recent decades.

This is when access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, particularly for women and girls, continues to be inadequate. And maternal deaths remain unacceptably high. As per the latest WHO estimates, a maternal death occurred nearly every two minutes in 2023, and every day in 2023, over 700 women died from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. WHO also estimates that globally, one in seven 10- to 19-year-olds experiences a mental health issue, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group. Depression, anxiety, and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds. According to Unicef, globally in 2023, an estimated 13% of adolescent girls and young women gave birth before age 18.