It was stressed that in 1972, maternal deaths, which were 1.4 per 1,000 live births, accounted for 0.5 percent of all deaths in the Philippines. Then in 2000, while the maternal death rate saw a decrease—1.0 per 1,000 live births—the Philippines committed to reduce maternal deaths to 55 per 100,000 live births by 2015. So years later, to meet its Millennium Development Goal, the government passed the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition Strategy. This, as home births were considered by the government as the reason for high maternal deaths in the Philippines. However, it said newborn deaths, or deaths caused by certain conditions originating in the perinatal period, is now the 17th leading cause of death in the Philippines, higher compared to 18th last year.
