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Published: Monday September 3, 2012 MYT 3:53:00 PM
Updated: Monday September 3, 2012 MYT 4:14:51 PM

70% of women who died during childbirth or pregnancy did not practice family planning

By YUEN MEI KENG


KLANG: Some 70% of Malaysian women who died during childbirth or pregnancy problems did not practice any form of family planning.

This is based on an inquiry into the maternal mortality rate conducted by the Health Ministry, says Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah obstetrics and gynaecology department head Dr Mohamad Farouk Abdullah.

"Pregnancies should be at an optimal time to allow mothers to recuperate.

"If we want to reduce the maternal mortality rate to 11 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015, we have to apply family planning," he said after the launching of the hospital's family planning month themed "Pregnant by Choice, Not by Chance or Force."

Dr Farouk added that the risk of maternal deaths were double fold for women who have been pregnant for at least five times in the past.

"Proper family planning will be able to reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies and miscarriages," he said.

Currently, 26 to 27 mothers die during labour for every 100,000 live births and such a rate has been stagnant over the past 10 years.

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