Every year there are an estimated 139 million births. An estimated 289000 women will die during pregnancy, childbirth, or soon after; 2*6 million will have stillbirths, and 2*9 million infants will die in the first month of life. Poor quality maternal and newborn care is a major factor for these deaths, and continued reductions in maternal mortality needs overall improvements in quality throughout the continuum of care and improved emergency services.