Philippines sees nearly 2,500 maternal deaths in 2021, says UN agency

MANILA, May 14 (Xinhua): At least 2,478 women died due to childbirth in the Philippines in 2021, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Philippines said Sunday, expressing concern about the rising number of maternal deaths in the South-East Asian country.

"In the Philippines, we noticed an increase of maternal deaths during the past years: in 2019, 1,458 women died of maternal causes; this number increased to 2,478 in 2021," UNFPA Philippines country representative Leila Saiji Joudane said in a statement.