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- Unified health days
- Republican Mother's Day
Republican Mother's Day
October 14

On October 14, Belarusian families traditionally celebrate Mother's Day - a holiday to which no one can remain indifferent, on which women who have become mothers and have achieved success in raising children are congratulated.
Mother's Day is of great importance in establishing a closer heartfelt connection between children and mothers, in strengthening the institution of family and unites in a single impulse all those who want to thank mothers and pay tribute to their tireless work as mothers.
On this day, a wonderful opportunity arises to appreciate the importance of a woman’s role as a mother in ensuring the demographic security and well-being of our country.
The creative role of the mother and the positive life guidelines she forms are the foundations without which family happiness is impossible.
In recent years, the republic has continued to improve legislation in order to increase the level of social and medical protection of the rights of mothers and children and the interests of the family.
Protecting women's health and protecting motherhood is one of the main objectives of state policy and a priority in healthcare.
The Republic of Belarus has a system for protecting women’s rights to health care, guaranteeing accessibility and ensuring high quality of medical care that has reached pan-European and international levels.
Investments in women's and children's health are sustainable and effective.
Since 2003, the birth rate has been increasing in the republic.
In 2016, 117,779 children were born in Belarus (2015 – 119,028 newborns). The birth rate was 12.4 per 1000 population (2000 – 9.4‰). The current birth rate is comparable to that of a number of European countries.
In 2016, the average age of a woman at the birth of a child was 28.9 years, in urban areas - 29.3 years, in rural areas - 27.7 years.
The number of births among women aged 40–44 years is growing. Mothers in this age group gave birth to 2,207 children in 2016, which is 1.8 times more than in 2010.
Every year, since 2007, more than 100 thousand women become mothers. In 2016, 117,779 were born, of which 48.5 thousand (41.2%) were first-born.
More than half of the births are associated with the birth of the second, third and subsequent children. Thus, the share of children born second in the total number of births increased from 36.1% in 2010 to 39.9% in 2016, third and subsequent - from 11.6% to 18.9%.
An interesting fact is that in 2016, compared to previous years, the number of twin births increased.
Belarusian healthcare, being an adherent of a modern approach to solving problems aimed at improving medical care for mothers, is following the path of modernization and technological innovation.
The concept of safe motherhood, formulated in the 80s by WHO, has become a program for safe motherhood in our country.
A pregnant woman is guaranteed medical care in government health care organizations during and after childbirth.
100% of women have access to prenatal and postnatal health care.
Almost 100% of births occur with skilled obstetric care.
The rate of referral of pregnant women to antenatal clinics in the early stages of pregnancy is 98%.
95% of pregnant women undergo ultrasound examination to detect congenital defects of the fetus in pregnancy up to 12 weeks, 96% - in pregnancy 12-22 weeks. Biochemical screening covered 31% of pregnant women. Conducted ultrasound and biochemical screening of pregnant women made it possible to identify 1,757 cases of congenital malformations of the fetus in 2016, 1,003 pregnancies (57% of the number of diagnosed congenital anomalies in the fetus) were interrupted for medical and genetic reasons.
WHO and UNICEF recommendations on pre-test and post-test counseling have been implemented in the Republic of Belarus. All women of reproductive age and every pregnant woman have the opportunity to receive counseling services and undergo HIV testing in health care organizations and HIV/AIDS prevention departments of hygiene, epidemiology and public health centers at the regional and republican levels. In addition to individual consultations at a doctor’s appointment, information on HIV/AIDS issues is carried out during group classes at “Young Family Schools”, as well as through the provision of information literature.
Every year, from 18.4% to 30% of women of reproductive age are tested for HIV.
In order to prevent vertical transmission of HIV infection from mother to child, all HIV-infected pregnant women are prescribed preventive antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period, as well as children born to HIV-infected mothers for the first time 7-28 days from birth.
To eliminate vertical transmission of HIV infection from mother to child and cases of HIV transmission associated with the provision of medical care, all children (100%) born to HIV-infected mothers are provided with adapted milk formulas for artificial feeding. ARV prophylaxis coverage among pregnant women in 2016 was 98.3% (2015 – 94.1%), newborns – 99.4% (2015 – 96.9%).
The existing system for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV has proven its effectiveness. The Republic of Belarus became the first country in the WHO European Region to confirm in 2016 the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. The risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV has been reduced by 19 times (from 26.9% in 2000 to 1.4% in 2016).
Women's reproductive health largely depends on their general health. The state of physical health affects the course and results of pregnancy, and pregnancy, in turn, complicates extragenital diseases.
Since 2001, the growth has stopped and the morbidity rate among pregnant women in the republic has stabilized. In 2016, on average, 70 women out of 100 had a disease during pregnancy that reduces the quality of intrauterine development of the fetus and leads to deterioration in the health of children (2000 - 78 women out of 100).
The leading pathological conditions complicating the course of pregnancy are anemia of pregnancy, which affects 22% of pregnant women; threat of early termination of pregnancy – 20.1%; diseases of the genitourinary system – 10.9%; thyroid dysfunction – 9.8%.
The high level of morbidity among pregnant women has led to a decrease in the proportion of normal births. But in recent years there has been a tendency towards an increase in the number of births occurring without complications. In 2016, the proportion of normal births was 41.7% (2000 – 25.0%). The proportion of premature births has stabilized at 3.9%. The rate of surgical delivery by cesarean section increased and amounted to 29.5% (2000 – 16.6%).
Overall, the incidence of complications during childbirth and the postpartum period decreased to 64.8% in 2016 (2000 – 72.6%). The structure is dominated by diseases of the genitourinary system, which complicated 17.4% of births in the republic, anemia - 17.3%, thyroid dysfunction - 9.9%, diseases of the circulatory system - 8.6%, gestosis - 9.1%, diabetes diabetes – 1.1%.
Maternal mortality is one of the main indicators of women's reproductive health. Over the past 17 years, the maternal mortality rate in the republic has decreased from 21.3 in 2000 to 1.7 per 100,000 live births in 2016 (2 cases of maternal mortality from indirect obstetric causes were registered).
The abortion rate among women of fertile age decreased to 12.2 per 1000 women of the corresponding age (2000 – 46.1‰), among teenage girls – to 0.6‰ (2000 – 3.4‰).
The number of abortions per 100 live and stillbirths in 2016 was 23.3 (2000 – 129.1%).
Health care organizations have created conditions and provided pre-abortion psychological counseling for women who applied for an artificial termination of pregnancy. In 2016, 99.5% of women received pre-abortion psychological counseling, which made it possible to save 10.7% of pregnancies.
Maternity hospitals operate according to the system of joint stay of mother and child, the principles of breastfeeding recommended by WHO have been introduced and supported. 89% of newborn children are with their mother immediately after birth.
The work carried out in Belarus to promote and encourage breastfeeding, as one of the recognized and most effective measures to improve the health of both children and women, has achieved the desired results.
The duration of breastfeeding in 2016 was:
children under 3 months of age - 84.6% (2000 - 68.3%), children under 6 months of age - 66.0% (2000 - 38.2%), children one year of age - 34.9% (2000 – 15.9%).
In 2016, compared to 2005, the general and primary morbidity in children aged 0-17 years increased: the general morbidity - up to 2123.1 per 1000 children of the corresponding age (2005 - 1961.2‰), the primary morbidity - up to 1793.6 per 1000 children of the corresponding age (2005 – 1572.0‰).
A four-level system for the provision of perinatal care has been formed in the republic, which is based on the principle of equal access to specialized medical care from the standpoint of its validity and effectiveness. Preserving the life and health of mother and child, providing accessible, qualified and high-tech care is one of the priority areas of healthcare in the Republic of Belarus.
At the beginning of 2017, there were 107 obstetric institutions operating, including 1 level IV perinatal center, 14 level III perinatal centers, 28 level II perinatal centers, 64 health care organizations belonging to the first technological level.
The material and technical base of obstetric institutions is constantly being improved.
A system for medical examination of pregnant women has been established, the importance of which lies in the early identification of risk factors for the woman and the unborn child, the determination of observation tactics and timely correction of deviations.
Conditions have been created for the provision of high-tech medical care. There are 13 republican scientific and practical centers in the republic, which, if necessary, provide specialized medical care to women.
The unification of scientific and practical healthcare institutions expanded the possibility of scientific research and increased the availability of specialized medical care for the population of the republic, accelerated the implementation of its own developments, as well as the achievements of domestic and foreign science, into healthcare practice.
The leading institution of the republic in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, neonatology, pediatrics and medical genetics is the Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Mother and Child”.
The Center provides medical care to pregnant women with a high risk of perinatal pathology, diseases of the heart and blood vessels, endocrine and urinary systems; newborn children with various pathological conditions, including very premature ones, requiring special conditions of care and treatment, from all regions of the Republic of Belarus. The range of medical and genetic care provided at the Center includes ultrasound prenatal diagnostics, highly specialized methods of laboratory cytogenetic and molecular genetic diagnostics.
Our country is implementing the State Program “People’s Health and Demographic Security of the Republic of Belarus” for 2016–2020. The goal of the program is to stabilize the population and increase life expectancy.
This goal was set based on the priorities of socio-economic development and taking into account such areas of the Program of Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Belarus for 2016–2020 as “Improving the demographic potential and strengthening the institution of the family” and “Increasing the level of health of Belarusian citizens and the availability of medical services” .
The state is carrying out consistent and comprehensive work to improve the maternal and child health care system, develop and implement a national model of family planning services, create a men's health service, and develop new services for adolescents and youth in the field of reproductive health.
Measures are being taken to strengthen the traditional spiritual and moral values of the Belarusian people, the institution of family, and strengthening the traditions of the family way of life.
It is envisaged to solve problems that, as a whole, will maintain the positive trend of natural population growth and will ensure the fulfillment of such a target as an increase in the total fertility rate to 1.75 by 2020.
Taking into account that one of the reserves for increasing the birth rate is overcoming infertility, the issues of developing a multi-level system of medical care in the family planning service are being addressed.
The values of the target indicators of the “Family and Childhood” subprogram for 2016 were: infant mortality rate - 3.2 per mille, child mortality rate - 38.8 per mille, total fertility rate - 1.733.
The performance indicators of the maternity and childhood service have made a significant contribution to the position of the Republic of Belarus in international rankings. The Republic of Belarus ranks 24th in the Index of the Status of Mothers and the Index of the Status of Children, and 29th in the Index of the Status of Women. The group of most developed countries in these rankings ranks 1-44.
According to the “child mortality at birth” index, Belarus is in the same group with developed countries (Belgium, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Israel, Ireland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Japan).
The Save the Children organization published the Maternity Index 2014 rating, which analyzed data on conditions for motherhood in 178 countries around the world. Belarus took 26th place. The UK takes the same position.
Our country ranks first in the world in terms of access to medical care, sharing it with Canada and Brunei.
In 2016, the Republic of Belarus received a certificate for validating the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis.
A mother is the most necessary person for a child. Mother's love and care are necessary like air, like warmth.
The state has created conditions that allow women to combine work with pregnancy and motherhood, providing legal protection, material and moral support for motherhood.