内容摘要：despite the proclaimed EU bid, initially dismissed early elections but on Friday suggested they may be held, though without saying exactly when.

despite the proclaimed EU bid, initially dismissed early elections but on Friday suggested they may be held, though without saying exactly when.

One of the most important things is making sure everyone can get regular prenatal checkups, which requires having enough health care providers.Consider Norway, which has the lowest maternal mortality rate in the world: zero. Through its universal health care system, people get free prenatal appointments at health centers near their homes.

For every 1,000 live births, Norway has 13 OB-GYNs and 54 midwives, thefound, compared with 12 OB-GYNs and four midwives in the U.S.Regular care means problems are spotted and treated early, said Roosa Sofia Tikkanen, a doctoral candidate at the Center for Global Health Inequalities Research in Norway.

“Maternal mortality is an entirely preventable event providing you have access to basic health care,” Tikkanen said. “Not high-tech health care but basic health care.”What happens during and after delivery also makes a difference. The national rate for cesarean sections, which are more likely than vaginal births to lead to complications, is about 16% in Norway compared to 32% in the U.S. The Scandinavian country also mandates generous paid leave, which research links to better postpartum health.

Commonsense Childbirth, which has locations in Orlando and Winter Garden, Florida, offers a small-scale model of European care. It has clinics, a birthing center and training for health professionals.

The midwives who run the program welcome vulnerable patients that other practices turn away, such as those who are uninsured or haven’t had prenatal care until late in pregnancy.That connection can’t easily be replaced “by telling patients, ‘Go to the next pharmacy,’” Adepoju at the University of Houston said.

Craig Jones fills a prescription at Basin Pharmacy in Basin, Wyoming. (AP Photo/Mike Clark)Craig Jones fills a prescription at Basin Pharmacy in Basin, Wyoming. (AP Photo/Mike Clark)

Governments are starting to pay attention, too, with some states planning to study pharmacy closures, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Adepoju would like to see more regulation, given the growing role pharmacies play in providing care.“If health care is seen as a right, not a privilege,” she said, “then you shouldn’t be able to just shut it down because you submitted paperwork and you put a notice on the front of your door.”