The latest report from the Argentine Social Debt Observatory of the Argentine Catholic University (ODSA-UCA) highlights the marked geographical disparities in infant and maternal mortality in Argentina, highlighting a critical challenge for the country’s health system.
Titled “Infant and maternal mortality in Latin American and Caribbean countries” and “Infant and maternal mortality: its association with socioeconomic and geographic vulnerabilities in Argentina,” this report reveals both the progress in reducing infant mortality and the persistent gaps in access to medical care in different regions of the country.
The analysis, based on official data from the National Ministry of Health, shows a general improvement in the infant mortality rate in Argentina since 2005. The infant mortality rate (IMR) in children under one year old rose from 13.3 per thousand live births in 2005 to 8.4 in 2022.
“Although the evolution of infant and maternal mortality indicators in Argentina is positive and places the country among the best in the region, a look inside the country shows social and geographical inequalities to which the averages do not do justice” , they indicated in the report.
There they highlight a worrying stagnation since 2018, along with significant inequalities between regions. For example, in Northeast Argentina, infant mortality rates exceed 18 per 1,000 live births, evidencing the urgent need to address social and geographic disparities.
Poverty, a key factor
For example, Formosa registered in 2022, an infant mortality rate in children under one year of age of 15.1 per 1,000 live births, and Tierra del Fuego of 3.9. “Geographically, greater progress is recorded in the NOA region than in the NEA, where mortality rates in children under 5 years of age reach 18.5 in Formosa, 16 in Corrientes, 13.8 in Chaco, to mention some of the most worrying . This region of the country, additionally, registers the highest levels of poverty,” they indicated.
While, in 2022, 8.6 maternal deaths were recorded per 10,000 live births in Santiago del Estero, and 8.3 in Chaco; only 1.2 and 1.3 were registered in the City of Buenos Aires and Neuquén, respectively. Formosa, Santiago del Estero and Salta, register high maternal mortality rates above the average and additionally register high levels of poverty due to UBN. “This reflects the relevance that the living conditions of populations have in the opportunity to sustain life,” they explained in the report.
Miguel Ángel Schiavone, rector of the Argentine Catholic University (UCA) and public health expert, emphasized the urgency of addressing these disparities and guaranteeing equitable access to health care. He also stressed the importance of prevention and proper management of pregnancy to avoid preventable maternal deaths.
For Schiavone, early diagnosis with appropriate pregnancy monitoring and simple blood pressure measurement, as well as timely treatment by a competent professional, would reduce preventable maternal deaths. It seems urgent to move forward with safe maternities, intensification of preventive programs, adequate pregnancy control, compliance with the 1000-day plan, as well as better control of the healthy newborn.
In Latin America and the Caribbean
The infant mortality rate (IMR) has continued a positive evolution in Argentina, although it has stagnated in recent years, and remains above neighboring countries in the region such as Chile and Uruguay. The IMR in children under one year of age is 8 out of every 1,000 live births, while in Chile and Uruguay it is 6 and 5 respectively. In children under 5 years of age it is 9.6 per 1,000 live births, while in Chile and Uruguay it is 6.6 and 5.8, respectively.
In the case of maternal mortality, there is stagnation in the country’s evolution, and the rate doubles that registered in Chile and Uruguay (1.5 and 1.9, respectively), rising to 4.1 per 10,000 live births.
“This information, which arises from the countries’ administrative records, is valuable for diagnosis and management. “The majority of infant and maternal deaths are avoidable,” they concluded in the study.
