ARAK – Focusing on women’s health and improving their general health status are among main priorities of the Health Ministry, Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi, the Iranian Health Minister, said here on Friday.

Speaking to the people of Hendoodar, Central prvince, Vahid-Dastjerdi described building more medical centers in deprived or less developed areas of the country as a part of the ministry’s macro policies.
Pointing to official Statistics on the extent of pregnancy problems arisen for women in less developed areas, she blamed shortage of specialized human resources for most of the pregnancy difficulties in the areas.
She referred to the establishment of a nursing and midwifery college in the city and said that such projects will provide people and specially women of this area with better health and medical services.
According to Vahid-Dastjerdi, Iran has succeeded to achieve the millennium goal in reducing maternal mortality rate sooner than scheduled time set by the United Nations.
The maternal mortality rate in Iran now stands at 22 per 100,000 births which was 250 per 100,000 childbirths in 1979.
Iran has achieved this success - which was planned for 2015 - through the efforts made by hardworking midwives and gynecologists.
Currently, about 90 percent of pregnant women in Iran benefit from health services and women give birth under the supervision of a specialist.