Pregnancy  and childbirth kill more than 536,000 women a year. More than half of the cases happened in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. In fact, most of the deaths are preventable with basic medical care. The five leading causes are bleeding, infection, high blood pressure, longtime labor and bad abortions  . Mothers' deaths from such causes were largely reduced nearly a century ago in developed countries. Experts say that what kill many women are "the three delays"-- the woman's delay in deciding to go to the hospital, the time she loses traveling there and the hospital's delay in starting treatment. Only about 15 percent of births have dangerous complications . Women lack education and information about birth control. Husbands and inlaws, may decide where a woman gives birth and insist that she stay at home to save money. However, there is no single solution to a problem with so many factors--shortages of doctors, nurses, drugs, equipment, roads and transportation--though hospital officials are trying many things now. One  _ measure to solve the problem for the present has been to train assistant medical officers, to perform certain operations. Some African countries are now struggling to train more assistants and midwives   , and provide places for pregnant women to stay near hospitals. But there is a long way to go. Only 20 percent of women in the continent give birth at the hospital. More than 50 percent stay at home to give birth, and the rest go to local clinics that cannot handle emergencies. What can we learn from this passage?
The governments of African countries have to take more effective measures to save pregnant women. Developed countries should help African countries reduce mothers'deaths. The husbands in poor countries should take responsibility for their wives'deaths. Most problems that cause women's deaths during pregnancy and childbirth can be treated or prevented.