KHUJAND, July 23, Asia-Plus /Mavlouda Rafiyeva/ -- 12 cases of maternity death have been officially registered in Sughd province over the first half-year of 2009, which is three cases more than in the same period of last year, according to the Sughd health directorate head Dalil Toshmatov.

According to him, the deaths have been caused mainly by postnatal bleeding.  He named bad health condition of local women, improper control by reproductive health centers, wrong assessment of pregnant women by facilities providing primary medical care, low quality of operational medical-obstetrical aid in medical facilities and non-observance of clinical protocol as main factors that have contributed increase in the number of maternity deaths in eh province.