Cambodia women call for safer births

Five women die in childbirth every day in Cambodia - making it a leading cause of death among women aged 17 to 49. Complications before, during, and after childbirth can often be fatal in the developing world. In Cambodia there are 437 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the 2000 Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey. The government is trying to improve health services but it is proving a long slow process.

Most of the women in Lvea village, a collection of wooden stilt-houses along a dirt track in north-western Cambodia, have been told to have their babies in the local health centre. So when one woman, Low't, went into labour recently with her ninth child, she made her way there too. "The delivery went well - but afterwards Low't started to feel faint,” her neighbour, Ron, told a BBC correspondent. “She was losing blood.” "The health centre didn't have the right medicine, so they went five miles by trailer to a larger one. "The midwife there couldn't stop the bleeding either, and sent them to the hospital in the nearest town. "They were still travelling, heading downriver by boat, when Low't died." It's a sad but common story.

Eighty per cent of Cambodia 's population live in rural areas and the public health system is weak. In recent years, the government has made it a priority to strengthen its network of trained midwives. They now attend more than half of all births - a significant increase. Many local clinics function better, even if they're still poorly equipped. But midwives are paid very little - and can be distracted by running private businesses too.

In Lvea village, the women were cautious about criticising the midwives who tried but failed to save Low't's life. But one woman made this plea to her government: "Please supply good quality medicine to the health centre so that it can help us." The economic downturn has also made giving birth in Cambodia more risky. More women are forgoing proper nutrition and healthcare during pregnancy, raising the risk of death during childbirth, the United Nations said in April.

About one-third of Cambodia's 14.5 million people live below the national poverty line of $0.50, according to government statistics. In 2009, another 200,000 people could fall below the World Bank's regional poverty line of $1.25 a day - the highest number in Southeast Asia - it announced in April.

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children