Minister for
Health S.Lambaa told Parliament on Friday that the capacity of State-run maternity
hospitals in the country has not increased since the time Mongolia’s population
was 600,000. The country now has 2.7 million people. He also said there are
over 2,100 organizations offering health services in Mongolia.  The Minister was replying to questions from MPs
S.Oyun and D.Oyukhorol on the Government’s policies on reducing mother and
infant mortality, reducing the work load of maternity hospitals, on priorities
in the health budget and on several other issues relating to medical care.

He revealed
that there were 56 deaths among the 68,544 women who gave birth in 2009. The
corresponding figures in the first five months of 2010 were 14 and 27,584. The Health
Minister did not think the mortality rate was high or alarming, but admitted that
work in the health sector could be improved. According to him, the high poverty
rate contributed to the mortality figures.

Records show 70
percent of women on the reproductive age have some kind of illness, 11.5
percent of pregnant women had anemia, and 33 percent of the women who died had
tuberculosis or cancer, or some blood or respiratory complaints. In addition, 23
percent of the dead mothers in Ulaanbaatar did not have registration. Interestingly,
while 30 percent of the new mothers were from herder households, 40 percent of
the mortality figures were also from there. Child mortality is decreasing, but infant
mortality rate is still relatively high.

Discussing the
information given by the Minister, MPs felt that all workers in the health
sector should receive better training in their responsibility and commitment.
Some urged building a new hospital. There was general criticism of the health
sector.

When MPs
asked how many mothers had died in Khongor soum which is feared to be
chemically polluted, the Minister said, “I categorically say that there was no
maternal mortality in Khongor soum. Even natural deaths there are being blamed on
  pollution. This must be stopped.”