Maternal Mortality: A Matter of Public Health Policies

Maternal mortality is a worldwide problem and concern, continuing to be a public health problem, the ratio of the same has been decreasing but still to those recommended by the World Health Organization. Objective: To perform a literature review, highlighting current aspects of maternal mortality. Method: The research was carried out in electronic databases Lilacs, Bireme-BVS, Scielo and BDENF, limited to the last 23 years. Those addressed pre-defined aspects of interest to the study proposal were selected—maternal mortality, public health policies, and the new approaches to the problem. Results: Maternal death is directly related to the living conditions of the population, showing variability from country to country (developed and developing), but its decrease is inherent to public policies and political will.