Brazil has not reduced maternal mortality since 2000; Rate falls into neighbors

The economic crisis from 2015 caused SUS financing problems, which will impact the system. From there even the pandemic we had a difficult time. The crisis also increases poverty, and this is expressed in worse health indicators. Not to mention that the cesarean section rate here is very high (60%), some made indiscriminately, which increases risk.
Marcos Nakamura, Obstetrician of Fiocruz

Interestingly, he points out that the creation of more maternities, especially in small municipalities, hides a problem, as most deaths occur in places with less than 2,000 births per year.

The mayor decides to open a maternity in a place with very few births: this makes the necessary structure not continued for long. Not to mention that there are shifts with incomplete teams and that, as they deal with few births, they have greater difficulty in emergencies.
Marcos Nakamura

He also points out that stability in the number of deaths can partly be explained by the decrease in underground in the country. “There was advances in the investigation of deaths with the creation of committees responsible for analyzing all deaths of women of childbearing age. This reduced the correction rate, which has been 10%, to about 3% today. Today’s figures better reflect reality,” he explains.