As humanitarian aid programs in North Korea continue to be underfunded, the most vulnerable lives continue to be endangered: these authors estimate that in 2018, 1200 infants and 72 pregnant women could have died because they were not provided with health kits for dealing with medical emergencies during childbirth.

In 2018, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) successfully reached only 3,750 pregnant women (1% of those targeted) with emergency reproductive health (ERH) kits, which include supplies to assist with postpartum hemorrhages and eclampsia--potentially life-threatening conditions during pregnancy and delivery.