/ 26 October 2000

ANGOLAN MOTHERS AT RISK

ONE in every hundred pregnant women in Angola dies each year following complications linked to pregnancy and birth, according to a report. Many of them die after undergoing abortions in poor hygiene conditions and after suffering haemorrhages, said medical expert Adelaide Carvalho, who has carried out research in Angolan hospitals and medical centres. Only 50% of all pregnant women in war-torn Angola get any kind of medical assistance, Carvalho said. She stressed that her figures concerned only women who had been admitted to hospitals and medical centres recognised by the authorities. – AFP