A stark investigation conducted by the Center for Gender Studies at the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC) has exposed a severe maternal health emergency in the Dominican Republic. The findings, published in a report titled “Safe and Respectful Motherhood of Human Rights: Debts, Arrears and Institutional Violence towards Women,” reveal a tragic pattern of one pregnant woman dying every two days from largely preventable complications related to childbirth.
The data, drawn from the most recent official figures in the 2025 Epidemiological Bulletin, shows that 177 women lost their lives during childbirth that year—a death toll identical to the previous year’s count. This places the nation’s maternal mortality rate at a staggering 124.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to preliminary statistics from the National Epidemiological Surveillance System (SINAVE) for 2024. This figure dramatically exceeds regional averages for Latin America and the Caribbean, standing at more than 90 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Researchers Dalul Ordehi, Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Desiree del Rosario Sosa, coordinator of CEG-INTEC, presented these alarming findings to the media. They emphasized that approximately 90% of these maternal deaths could be prevented through the implementation of proven effective measures. These crucial interventions include ensuring quality maternal healthcare services, guaranteeing universal access to contraceptive methods, and actively addressing systemic inequalities that limit women’s access to essential health services.
The report, released to coincide with International Women’s Day observances on March 8, serves as a powerful indictment of institutional failures. It documents how systemic violence and institutional neglect toward women have contributed to this ongoing public health crisis, where preventable tragedies continue to claim lives at an alarming rate.