Peadar Clohessy
Question:6 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for Health the number of maternal deaths which occurred in Ireland in each of the last ten years; the cause of death in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4552/95]
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Maternal Deaths.
(Limerick East): The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the table which I am circulating in the Official Report. Numbers and rates of maternal death have been decreasing steadily over many decades as living conditions, nutritional status, antenatal care and obstetric practice have all continued to improve. Ireland's rate has been consistently below the EU average for maternal mortality.
During the last 30 years the maternal mortality rate in Ireland has decreased from an average of 45.5 per 100,000 live births for the period 1960-64, to 3.4 for the most recent period, 1990-93. The latest average figure available for the EU area refers to 1991 which gives a rate of 8 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Number and Cause of Maternal Deaths, 1984 to 1993
|
Cause of Death |
1984 |
1985 |
1986 |
1987 |
1988 |
1989 |
1990 |
1991* |
1992* |
1993* |
|
Abnormality of forces of labour |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Antepartum haemorrhage, abruptio placentae, and placenta praevia |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Hypertension complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Infective and parasitic conditions |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Major puerperal infection |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Obstetrical pulmonary embolism |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Other complications of labour and delivery, not elsewhere classified |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Other and unspecified complications of puerperium, not elsewhere classified |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Other fetal and placental problems affecting management of mother |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Spontaneous abortion |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
4 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
*Provisional figures based on year of registration.
Source: Central Statistics Office.
Does the Minister agree those figures are testimony to the high level of obstetric care in this State and that the maternal death rate has fallen? Would he agree, however, that there can be a risk, albeit slight, to the mother's life by a pregnancy? Can he inform the House whether he or his Department had any consultations with the medical profession as to how a woman, whose life is deemed to be at risk by reason of a pregnancy, could have that pregnancy terminated in this State following on the judgment of the Supreme Court in the X case?
(Limerick East): The decrease in incidence is not due solely to improvements in obstetric practice — while we agree that such improvements have taken place — but also to improved living conditions, nutrition and antenatal care.
The House might be interested in hearing of trends over the years, as follows: in the years 1960 to 1964 the rate of maternal deaths was 45.5 per 100,000 births; in the period 1965 to 1969 the rate had decreased to 29.6; from 1970 to 1974 it had gone down to 26; from 1975 to 1979 it had decreased to 12.4; in 1980 to 1984 it was 6.9, between the years 1985 and 1989 it was 4.2 and in 1993 it was down to 3.4. Looking at a table of statistics — for EU countries — I can supply it to the Deputy, I noted that from 1970 to 1993 there was one year only in which Irish rates were slightly above the EU average, which I would think was an aberration in those stastistics because, for all other years, the rate for Ireland was substantially below the EU average.
The X case does not really arise on a statistical question like this. I will deal with all of these issues in the course of the debate on the relevant Bill. The Deputy is probably aware that there is a conflict among medical practitioners on whether there is a choice, at times, between the life of a woman and the life of a child; some doctors say there might be and others say there never is in modern medicine. We can explore all of these issues in the course of Committee Stage. Anything I might say in reply to a supplementary question, of necessity, must be taken out of context of the information Bill which does not deal with the X case, but is simply an information Bill. That would not be fair to anybody in this House or to the public at large.
In respect of the most recent statistics available to him, can the Minister inform the House how many women died in childbirth, say, in 1993 or in 1992? He gave statistics based on 100,000 births but, in common language, would he say how many woman died giving birth to a child last year or the year before?
(Limerick East): I presented the figures to the House in the manner in which they are compiled, that is in terms of deaths per 100,000 live births, which is how they are provided by the Central Statistics Office. If the raw data are available, I will obtain them for the Deputy but I do not have them here.