English: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Development_Cooperation_Handbook/Goal_5:_Improve_maternal_health

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Each year, hundreds of thousands of women die of childbirth in developing regions. The number of women dying of childbirth in the poorest countries is 200 times higher than those dying in developed countries.

The MDG 5 is about reducing maternal mortality rates through greater access to reproductive health services, reducing adolescent birth rates and promoting the use of contraceptives.

The inability of some governments to provide free basic medical services not only impacts the health and mortality of its citizens but also their wealth since they have to spend much of their money on health.

The target set for this goal was to reduce the annual maternal mortality by 5.5.%. Due to insufficient funds for actions taken to achieve this goal, the current decline in the annual mortality rates is less than even 1%.