UNFPA boosts its lifesaving support for pregnant women displaced by Sri Lanka conflict

At least 3,000 pregnant women have fled the fighting in northern Sri Lanka in recent days and some 350 of them will give birth in the next month, according to estimates by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. With health services increasingly challenged by the influx of internally displaced persons, UNFPA is stepping up its support for the health and safety of women and girls affected by the conflict, particularly those who are pregnant.

Typically, around 15 per cent of women giving birth will develop complications that require blood transfusions or emergency surgical care. Pregnancy-related disabilities and death often rise in conflict situations when reproductive health services are disrupted. Read more ...