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The purpose of this indicator is to measure the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel to assess progress towards achieving SDG 3.1 Target: ‘By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births’. This indicator provides essential data on the availability and utilization of skilled maternal health services, which is critical for understanding the level of access to safe delivery care and the progress towards reducing maternal mortality rates. By monitoring this indicator, policymakers, stakeholders, and organizations can make informed decisions to promote sustainable development and address challenges in reducing maternal mortality, improving maternal and child health outcomes, and achieving universal health coverage. This indicator helps to ensure that all pregnant women, particularly those in rural or marginalized communities, have access to skilled care during childbirth to reduce maternal and newborn mortality rates and improving overall maternal health outcomes, thereby contributing to the overall objective of sustainable, inclusive, and equitable growth. 

This indicator measures the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel to monitor progress towards SDG Target 3.1: ‘By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births’. It is defined as the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel (generally doctors, nurses or midwives but can refer to other health professionals providing childbirth care) to the total number of live births. The relevance of this indicator lies in its ability to provide critical data on the availability and utilization of skilled maternal health services, which is essential for understanding progress towards reducing maternal mortality rates. The data for this indicator is collected through administrative reports, and it is calculated by dividing the number of births attended by skilled health personnel by the total number of live births in the same period multiplied by 100. By tracking this indicator, stakeholders can gain valuable insights into the level of access to safe delivery care and the progress towards reducing maternal mortality rates, enabling them to make informed decisions to promote sustainable development and address challenges in reducing material mortality, improving maternal and child health outcomes, and achieving universal health coverage.

Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW)

Annual 

Percentage (%)

-            Indicator definition: the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel (general doctors, nurses, or midwives, but can refer to other health professionals providing childbirth care) to the total number of live births.  

-            Geographical coverage: National

-            Data collection method: Administrative reports. 

-            Data availability: Data is available from 2008 to 2023.

An important aspect of this indicator is the reporting of categories or occupational titles of health providers at country level. Standard categories for the indicator include doctor, nurse and midwife. However, some additional categories are currently being reported by some countries. When that is the case, a process of verification is conducted in which the competency level of other categories of health care providers is assessed with national sources and in communication with national counterparts.

District

Method of Computation:

Numerator: Number of births attended by skilled health personnel (doctor, nurse or midwife) trained in providing quality childbirth care, including giving the necessary support and care in the immediate postpartum period.

Denominator: The total number of live births in the same period.

Births attended by skilled health personnel = (number of births attended by skilled health personnel)/(total number of live births) x 100.

Policy Development: Use the data to inform and shape policies related to maternal and child health, healthcare infrastructure, workforce development, health equity, quality of care, public health campaigns, health financing, and emergency obstetric care. 

Program Planning and Implementation: Design and implement programs to improve maternal and child health outcomes by increasing access to skilled health personnel during childbirth, enhancing healthcare infrastructure, expanding healthcare workforce training, promoting health equity, ensuring high-quality care, conducting public health campaigns, providing affordable health financing options, and strengthening emergency obstetric care services.

Monitoring and Evaluation: Track progress towards SDG Target 3.1 and evaluate the effectiveness of policies and programs aimed at improving maternal health, specifically the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel.

International Comparisons: Compare progress in increasing the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel across different countries. This analysis can identify best practices, highlight successful strategies, and uncover areas needing improvement, helping to foster international cooperation and knowledge sharing to achieve SDG Target 3.1 globally.

Reporting and Accountability: Report progress to stakeholders, including governments and international organizations, to ensure accountability and transparency in achieving SDG Target 3.1.

All the metadata shown in this document was gathered from United Nation Statistics Division. The metadata was extracted from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/.