Effects of maternal mortality on gross domestic product (GDP) in the WHO African region

Abstract

SUMMARYWHO African region has got the highest maternal mortality rate compared to the other five regions. Maternal mortality is hypothesized to have significantly negative effect on the gross domestic product (GDP). The objective of the current study was to estimate the loss in GDP attributable to maternal mortality in the WHO African Region. The burden of maternal mortality on GDP was estimated using a doublelog econometric model. The analysis is based on cross-sectional data for 45 of the 46 Member States in the WHO African Region. Data were obtained from UNDP and the World Bank publications. All the explanatory variables included in the doublelog model were found to have statistically significant effect on per capita gross domestic product (GDP) at 5% level in a t-distribution test. The coefficients for land (D), capital (K), educational enrolment (EN) and exports (X) had a positive sign; while labor (L), imports (M) and maternal mortality rate (MMR) were found to impact negatively on GDP. Maternal mortality of a single person was found to reduce per capita GDP by US$ 0.36 per year. The study has demonstrated that maternal mortality has a statistically significant negative effect on GDP. Thus, as policy-makers strive to increase GDP through land reform programs, capital investments, export promotion and increase in educational enrolment, they should always remember that investments in maternal mortalityreducing interventions promises significant economic returns.[Afr J Health Sci. 2006; 13:86-95]

Costs Associated with Implementation of Computer-Assisted Clinical Decision Support System for Antenatal and Delivery Care: Case Study of Kassena-Nankana District of Northern Ghana

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Limited Service Availability, Readiness, and Use of Facility-Based Delivery Care in Haiti: A Study Linking Health Facility Data and Population Data

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“…This is because the International Labour Organization's (ILO) definition of labour force includes the employed (including the armed forces), the unemployed, and the first-time job-seekers, but excludes full-time homemakers and other unpaid caregivers and workers in the informal sector. The majority of the women in Africa are either full-time homemakers and/or informal sector workers, and, thus, their invaluable contribution to society is excluded from GNI calculations [22,23]. …”