Cuba among best places to be a mother

May 15, 2010
Issue 

Cuba provides the best conditions for motherhood among developing countries, Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers 2010 report has found.

The Times of India reported on May 5 that the report “examines 160 countries — 43 developed and 117 developing ones — and analyses the best and worst places to be a mother based on 10 factors such as the educational status, health, economic circumstances of the mothers, as well as the basic well-being of children”.

The report established three separate ranks for developed and less developed and least developed nations. Among the list of developed countries, Norway came first followed by Australia and Iceland.

Cuba headed the second list, and Israel and Argentina were second and third. Afghanistan came last at the bottom of the list of least developed nations.

The report found stark differences between developed and developing nations.

In Ethiopia, the report found “medical assistance is provided at just six percent of births, while in Norway, there are plenty of qualified health personnel present at almost all births”, the Times said.

Cuba also had 100% attendance at births by qualified health personnel. Cuba also had a lower morality rate for children under five (six out of every 1000 live births) that the United States (which had eight for every 1000), and the same as Britain and Australia.

The Times said: “One out of every seven women dies during pregnancy or while giving birth in Niger, but in Greece and Italy the death rate is less than one in 26,000 and in Ireland it is just one in 47,000.

“In Afghanistan, one of every four children dies before reaching the age of 5, while the comparable figure for Spain, France and Portugal is one of every 250.”

[Visit www.savethechildren.net to find the full report.]

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