Midwives in the Mountains of Vietnam
Understanding disparities within countries regarding maternal mortality ratios, access to health services and other health factors are necessary to fully address and provide maternal health care and a number of other health indicators. Vietnam, a middle income country, currently has a maternal mortality ratio of 64 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to IHME. However, for Hmong women in northern Vietnam, that ratio is significantly higer, according to a report from Al-Jazeera English (embedded below).
In order to efficiently allocate maternal health resources, it is imperative that good data exists regarding the regional, ethnic, and socio-economic differences for health outcomes so that the appropriate groups can be targeted for interventions.