Malawi on Wednesday launched a four-year, $2 million partnership with the World Health Organization and the European Union that aims to reduce by 75% the country's maternal and infant mortality rates by 2015, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. Chris Kang'ombe, principal secretary of Malawi's Ministry of Health, said the rate currently is 984 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. "This high rate is a national emergency that requires concerted effort by everybody," Kang'ombe said. Malawi's maternal mortality rate is the third-highest in the world, after Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, health officials said. Unsafe abortions, excessive bleeding during delivery and a lack of emergency facilities are contributing to the high mortality rate, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. In addition, many physicians and nurses in the country often decide to work abroad after their training, which has lead to a shortage of medical workers to provide services to pregnant women (AFP/Yahoo! News, 2/14).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.