Many countries, even those that have achieved improvements in the last 15 years, still experience high rates of maternal and newborn deaths due to poor quality services.
Poor quality can affect the demand for care from communities. Accelerating reduction of preventable deaths and poor outcomes depends on service quality improvements, including addressing health system challenges such as infrastructure, supplies, skilled and appropriately deployed health providers, and management. Quality improvement systems that address both the content and standards as well as the process and experience of care should be an important area of investment during the period of the new Sustainable Development Goals.
