Today prenatal care is considered one of the most important aspects of preventive medicine. Its objective is a safe pregnancy that leads to the delivery of a healthy newborn, and it plays an important role in the health of mothers, fetuses and children. A World Health Organization report states that in low income countries only 46% of women receive a substantial amount of perinatal care, though in many parts of the world antenatal care has improved adequately. The report also indicates that millions of births are not attended by professionals such as nurses and physicians, which raises the risk of complications. Poverty, long distances to medical centres, scarce facilities and cultural factors keep mothers from receiving proper prenatal care.
Maternal mortality due to complications in labour or pregnancy is one of the many aspects that affect a population's mortality rate. It depends on the health care facilities the mother receives, the education and awareness of the mother and family, family income, communication systems, health care cost, obstetric care, the condition of roads and more. Basic awareness and access to efficient perinatal care can prevent neonatal and maternal deaths. That demands a strong health care system that can provide necessary services at any time and place, so it is important to identify where services should be placed to be fairly distributed among rural areas. Studies show an association between mortality and the availability of resources such as proper health care, skilled and educated providers, and clean and sufficient hospital beds.
GIS can play an important role in lowering maternal mortality. It can point to the areas where a health centre is required through the spatial distribution of health facilities. GIS collects, analyses and displays data to promote a better health care system and policy. It is a powerful monitoring system that can consider the needs of vulnerable groups and identify progress or problems in the system immediately. It can also identify regional disparities so that educated personnel and more facilities can be placed accordingly.
In Iran, studies indicate that the mortality rate of women in deprived areas has increased because of unequal human resources within the health care system, ignorance of women's health issues, limits in health policies and more. GIS mapping that identifies areas needing more assistance can improve the quality of life of women.