title: An assessment study of maternal mortality ratio databank in five districts of North Western Frontier Province Pakistan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maternal mortality ratio is an indicator to measure the summary of information about mother and child health. It is estimated that about 500 maternal deaths occur per 100,000 live births each year in Pakistan. It is a well known fact that all health statistics coming out of the developing countries are calculated "guesstimates" some are perhaps more close to the real figures than the others. There is a dire need to help generate information that can be used by health professionals, health care planners and managers to save women's lives by improving the quality of care provided to turn away maternal mortality. The maternal mortality ratio for Pakistan as well as for NWFP is projected as 533/100,000 live births for the year 1990-91 produced by National Institute of Population Studies, Pakistan.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective cross-sectional quantitative study for the period (2001-2002) conducted in five districts of (NWFP) North Western Frontier Province, Pakistan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  National HMIS data opened the maternal mortality ratio for; Haripur as 0.168 and 0.173, Mansehra 00 and 00, Battagram 00 and 00, Swat 0.051. and 0.524 and Swabi 00 and 0.968 per/1000 live births, respectively. The small part exercise outcome (the study) endorsed more shadowy side of the actual maternal mortality ratio for the same period in the same districts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our country there is a urgent need to institute an efficient mode of operation to get accurate maternal mortality database. Verbal Autopsy method is cost effective and feasible approach for implementation in a country like Pakistan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan. drnasirf@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Nasir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Farooq
authors.forename: Huma
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jadoon
authors.forename: Tayyeb Imran
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Masood
authors.forename: M Saleem
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wazir
authors.forename: Umer
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Farooq
authors.forename: Mohammad Saqib
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lodhi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008428:Maternal Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies