NewsWhore
01-11-2007, 05:40 PM
The Nuestra Senora de La Altagracia Hospital, the largest maternity facility in the country, registered 6,000 abortions in 2006, 80% of which were performed on girls between the ages of 15 and 19. The hospital reported the births of 27,000 babies in 2006. Also in 2006, the ward registered 21 maternal deaths in childbirth, as reported in Hoy. Hospital director Dr. Cid Troncoso said that abortions make up a third of pregnancy cases treated at the hospital. He said that abortions are a serious problem that needs to be addressed by families, educators and the health sector. The doctor added that the health issues surrounding abortion are compounded because many women try to abort and end up with infections and complications as a result. Seven percent of the women treated at the hospital are illegal Haitian immigrants, he explained. Dr. Troncoso mentioned the case of one illegal Haitian woman that cost the hospital RD$360,000. He said that patients are treated regardless of nationality, and that difficult cases are referred from hospitals along the border, where women with birthing difficulties come from Haiti seek attendance. He specified that cases of Haitian women with hypertension, acute renal deficiency, anemia and diabetic problems are commonly referred from border hospitals.
The overall maternal mortality rate in 2004 decreased from 170 to 150 deaths per 100,000 and decreased even further in 2005 to 130 deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2006 the figure dropped to 110 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Meanwhile, Hoy newspaper quotes Tad Palac, UNICEF's representative in the DR, as saying that the country has not made any progress in reducing child mortality. He said that most recent reports have the DR down as registering 35 deaths of children under the age of five per 1,000 births. He said that child mortality and primary education indicators for the DR are below those of countries with similar economic levels.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#12)
The overall maternal mortality rate in 2004 decreased from 170 to 150 deaths per 100,000 and decreased even further in 2005 to 130 deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2006 the figure dropped to 110 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Meanwhile, Hoy newspaper quotes Tad Palac, UNICEF's representative in the DR, as saying that the country has not made any progress in reducing child mortality. He said that most recent reports have the DR down as registering 35 deaths of children under the age of five per 1,000 births. He said that child mortality and primary education indicators for the DR are below those of countries with similar economic levels.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#12)