Maternal Mortality of Indigenous People in Brazil: a reflection from secondary data

Maternal Mortality of Indigenous People in Brazil

Abstract

This article describes the maternal mortality of indigenous peoples in Brazil between 2018 and 2022.This is a descriptive, retrospective study, with a quantitative approach, using secondary data from the five regions of Brazil, obtained from the Maternal Mortality Monitoring Panel of the Department of Analysis in Health and Surveillance of Noncommunicable Diseases by the Health Surveillance Secretariat of the Ministry of Health. The results showed 2024 maternal deaths of indigenous people were registered in Brazil 42% of which occurred in the North Region, the place with the highest concentration of indigenous peoples in Brazil. In 2020, the highest Maternal Mortality Ratios of the entire period were recorded. The main causes of indigenous maternal mortality were due to direct obstetric causes due to bleeding complications and hypertensive syndromes, and the indirect obstetric causes were circulatory disorders. It is concluded that there is a high incidence of indigenous maternal deaths in the North region, predominantly due to deaths without presumable cause and in hospitals, making it clear the need for joint and integrated strategies aimed at the North region, in order to improve the investigation of the causes of indigenous maternal deaths and improving the quality and access of health services, considering local and sociocultural issues.