4.1. GENERAL ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE
To a great extent, the effectiveness of care is determined by its organization. Organization of health care for women and children, the mainstay of healthy posterity and viability of the society, is always important, irrespective of the system of government. The quality of reproductive potential becomes critical in conditions of worsening demographics which is typical of many countries in today's world: declining birth rate, increasing mortality, decreasing lifespan, as well as deteriorating health indices, especially in women, children and teenagers.
For historical reasons, obstetric and gynecologic care varies greatly in different countries and regions of our planet. Health care for women and children is not an exclusively medical issue; it depends on the socioeconomic development of the country, its resources, sociocultural specifics of the population (religion and traditions), and many other factors.
Objectives pursued by any state include implementation and advancement of technology adapted to local needs from the scientific point of view and considering local resources, providing care to women in pregnancy and childbirth, and providing emergency care if needed.
Although pregnancy and childbirth are natural phenomena, they are always associated with certain risk. According to the WHO, most acts of delivery (85%) proceed uneventfully and do not require medical care, thus these cases are considered normal, with a low perinatal risk. The WHO considers a childbirth safe if aseptic techniques are used and a person is present who has necessary skills in delivering a baby. However, only 50% of parturient women in the world are attended by someone ready to give assistance in emergency. Women and children suffer and die due to the lack of minimum necessary care to which they have a right.