It is clear that not enough is being done to decrease the deaths of newborns and their mothers in South Africa, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Tuesday.

"We cannot allow a single woman to die in childbirth or neonate to die because of our negligence or a child not to reach five years of age.

"It will be criminal for us to allow any of these things to happen. Unfortunately there is no other word for it but criminal," he said.

Motsoaledi was addressing a summit on neonatal, child and women's health in Boksburg.

He was "shocked" when briefed by chairpersons on ministerial committees about the issue.

What they told him was reinforced by documents prepared by the Development Bank of South Africa last year and more recently by reports prepared by academics, for Lancet, on health in South Africa.

All these reports suggest that the country has the correct health care policies and guidelines. The challenge has been and continues to be their implementation.

Motsoaledi said health outcomes such infant and maternal mortality had a number of causes such as poverty, illiteracy, lack of proper housing and lack of access to clean water and adequate sanitation.

Another cause was lack of access to good quality health services.

He said a third of deaths among women and children were avoidable.

"This state of affairs cannot be allowed to stand," he said.