Reduced maternal mortality in Tunisia and voluntary commitment to gender-related concerns

Abstract Objective To estimate the number and causes of maternal deaths in Tunisia from 1999 to 2007, and compare the results with the last report (1993–1994). Methods Data on all deaths of women of reproductive age in the public (1999–2007) and private (2006 only) health sectors were collected and assessed for whether the death was due to pregnancy. Number of live births was provided by the National Institute of Statistics. Results Mean maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Tunisia decreased from 68.9 per 100 000 live births in 1993–1994 to 36.3 (95% confidence interval, 27.9–46.5) in 2005–2007 ( P Conclusion The improvement in MMR can be credited to the voluntary political commitment focused on gender-related concerns that has been made in Tunisia, including access to family planning; legalization of abortion; and creation of the National Board for Family and Population, and the Tunisian Safe Motherhood initiative in 1999.