An Analysis of Maternal Health in Burkina Faso

Since the year 2000, countries around the world have focused on achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the fifth of which is to “improve maternal health”. Burkina Faso has made good strides towards improving maternal health and has achieved a 57% reduction in the maternal mortality ratio between 1990 and 2010. While the lifetime risk of maternal death remains elevated at 1 in 55, in recent years the government has instituted several programs aimed at improving women’s health with varied results. This paper aims to survey the state of maternal health in Burkina Faso and evaluate the impact that government policies such as subsidies have had on the overall picture of maternal morbidity and mortality.