The obstetrician–gynecologist and the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

The year 2015 marked the end of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) era and saw the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which seek to “end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.”1 The SDGs are made up of 17 goals with a total of 169 targets that are to be achieved by 2030. The MDGs successfully highlighted maternal health as an issue of global importance and, even though the target of reducing maternal deaths by 75% was not achieved globally, many governments and their corresponding ministries of health made major efforts to improve maternal survival. The role of professional associations and health workers involved in maternal health care in galvanizing action related to MDG5 should also be greatly commended.

With the many goals and targets of the SDGs, it is easy to overlook the contribution that different health professionals can make. The SDGs have one overarching health goal: SDG 3 aims to “[e]nsure healthy lives and promote well‐being for all at all ages.”2 One general theme that runs through all the goal 3 targets is universal access to health care. Notably, the first target under this third goal is to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100 000 live births by 2030, demonstrating that the SDGs seek to build on the gains made as part of MDG5. As team leaders in the delivery of maternal health care, obstetricians need to continue at the forefront of the efforts to continue reducing maternal mortality.

Effective interventions to reduce maternal mortality need to be implemented at national and subnational levels to achieve the global target. National societies of obstetricians and gynecologists need to rally their members and get them involved in maternal mortality reduction efforts at the national level. The efforts of individual obstetricians on labor and delivery units to ensure maternal and newborn survival are highly commendable, but additional work is needed to effectively reduce maternal mortality. National societies of obstetricians and gynecologists need to assume the responsibility of ensuring that all skilled birth attendants are well trained. Focusing only on the training and certification of obstetricians and gynecologists will not result in the rate of reduction of maternal mortality that SDG3 demands. The national curricula for the training of midwives, nurses, and doctors must have enough content to ensure that pregnancy and delivery complications can be recognized early and treated. Furthermore, obstetricians should also be directly involved in the teaching and certification of these healthcare workers.