State Statistical Committee Azerbaijan Republic Maternal Mortality Definition

State Statistical Committee Azerbaijan Republic Maternal Mortality: Definition and Estimation Regional Workshop on MDG Indicators 8 -11 November 2010, Geneva

Maternity Mortality Estimation Methods (maternal death due to complications during pregnancy, childbirth or postnatal period) n Maternal death in Azerbaijan is defined in accordance with WHO recommendations as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes. n Azerbaijan’s State Statistical Committee obtains maternal mortality data based on primary documentation of the Ministry of Justice (death registration) and Ministry of Health (medical certificate of death). Regional Workshop on MDG Indicators 8 -11 November 2010, Geneva 2

Maternity Mortality Estimation Methods (death of women due to complications during pregnancy, childbirth or postnatal period) n Coding and preparation of primary documentation is made in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). n Lists of deaths of women obtained on the basis of primary documentation of the Ministry of Justice are mandatorily verified on a case by case basis with the data available with the Ministry of Health and its regional authorities. Should there be any discrepancies, the data are verified on site and adjustments are made in the lists. n Maternal mortality ratio is the number of maternal deaths during a given year per 100, 000 live births during the same year. Regional Workshop on MDG Indicators 8 -11 November 2010, Geneva 3

Maternal Mortality in Azerbaijan Year Number Per 100, 000 live births 1990 17 9. 3 1995 53 37. 0 2000 44 37. 6 2001 28 25. 4 2002 22 19. 9 2003 21 18. 5 2004 34 25. 8 2005 41 28. 9 2006 51 34. 2 2007 54 35. 5 2008 40 26. 3 2009 37 24. 3 Regional Workshop on MDG Indicators 8 -11 November 2010, Geneva 4

Comparison of National and International Data on Maternal Mortality in Azerbaijan (per 100, 000 live births) 1) Year Official data of Azerbaijan’s State Statistical Committee World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 1990 9. 3 64. 0 1995 37. 0 79. 0 2000 37. 6 59. 0 2005 28. 9 44. 0 2008 26. 3 38. 0 2009 24. 3 35. 01) Data from World Health Statistics 2009 Report by WHO Regional Workshop on MDG Indicators 8 -11 November 2010, Geneva 6

As stated above, maternal mortality data available with Azerbaijan’s State Statistical Committee are verified twice, therefore we believe that these official NSO’s data are sound and reliable and these data should be taken by the World Health Organization as a basis and reported in international organizations’ publications. I don’t know how WHO makes its maternal mortality estimates, but I’d like to point out that it is not the only case when our official data are ignored. The same is true for life expectancy, infant and child mortality, HIV prevalence and some other estimates. Regional Workshop on MDG Indicators 8 -11 November 2010, Geneva 7

Azerbaijan’s State Statistical Committee has repeatedly approached relevant international organizations which promised to address these concerns, but still they are publishing their estimates which do not reflect the reality in Azerbaijan and often mislead the world community about our country. Regional Workshop on MDG Indicators 8 -11 November 2010, Geneva 8

THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION! Regional Workshop on MDG Indicators 8 -11 November 2010, Geneva 9