RESUMO
Maternal and neonatal health outcomes vary within Africa and the Middle East. Despite substantial improvements over the past 20â¯years, there are persisting inequities in access to, and the quality of, obstetric anaesthetic care. These are most noticeable in Sub-Saharan Africa which has only 3% of the world's healthcare workforce but approximately two-thirds of global maternal deaths. Improvements are being made by: improving access; increasing numbers of trained staff; delivering accessible training; gathering data; conducting research and quality improvement activities; using innovative technologies; and forming productive collaborations. Further improvements will be needed to cope with increasing demand, the impacts of climate change and potential future pandemics.