Dozens of countries are unlikely to meet U.N. goals to significantly reduce the deaths of mothers and children by 2015 without a new approach to health care and an additional $20 billion annually, according to a study released Tuesday.

The study, conducted by the scientific-advocacy group Countdown to 2015, found progress lagged mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where an estimated 82 per cent of maternal, newborn and child deaths take place.

The study was released on the eve of a press conference by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to kick off a new global initiative on reproductive, maternal and newborn health.

“This is a multi-layered problem that can be addressed with a combination of many, very simple interventions,” said Dr. Flavia Bustreo, director of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a group of more than 300 organizations, foundations, institutions and countries hosted by World Health Organization, working to achieve the U.N. goals.

What’s needed is “seamless” continuing care that includes family planning, breast feeding, hand washing, skilled attendants at delivery and childhood immunizations, Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta of Pakistan’s Aga Khan University, who co-chairs of Countdown to 2015, said in a statement.

While countries have almost doubled their donations for maternal, newborn and child health in recent years, the study found there is a funding gap of about $20 billion per year between 2011 and 2015.

The U.N. Millennium Development Goals call for reducing the under-five mortality rate by two thirds and the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters by 2015.

According to UNICEF, 135 countries have child mortality rates of less than 40 per 1,000 live births or have a rate of reduction sufficient to meet the U.N. goal, but 39 show insufficient progress and 18 show no progress or a worsening of child mortality.

Countdown to 2015 estimated 350,000 to 500,000 women still die in childbirth every year.

If the funding gap was filled by 2015, the study found the lives of up to 1 million women, 4.5 million newborn babies and 6.5 million children aged 1 month to 5 years would be saved.

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