Sumbawanga eyes zero maternal death target
THE Sumbawanga Municipal Council in Rukwa Region gears up to reduce the rate of maternal deaths to zero by the year 2025.
Currently, the municipality continues with the implementation of a five-year (2021 – 2025) strategic plan to ensure maternal and infant deaths are reduced.
Sumbawanga Municipal Council Medical Officer in- Charge, Dr Sebastian Siwale, revealed this while updating journalists during media briefing meeting held here in municipality.
“The municipality is keen to reach zero maternal mortality target come 2025,” stressed the medical expert.
Elaborating, the health expert said the implementation of the five-year strategic plan has made remarkable achievements by reducing maternity deaths from 28 to 10 deaths by September, last year.
Equally, the deaths of infants aged from one to seven days old declined from 285 to 149 deaths by September 2022.
According to Dr Siwale, the remarkable achievements made in maternal and child care, which in turn has reduced maternal and infant mortality rate, is attributed to construction of new health facilities.
“The municipality has a total of 42 health facilities of which 38 are dispensaries, four health centres and two hospitals, all of which have brought services closer to the citizens , relieving mothers of the burden of making long trek to receive medical care as it was before,” he emphasized.
Dr Siwale further explained that the achievement is also attributed to four public health facilities including Mazwi and Katumba health centres as well as Dr Atman Hospital, the municipal designated hospital, and regional referral hospital which are performing Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) services.
He further explained that once a maternal death is reported at any public health facility in municipality a team of medical experts reports to the facility to review the case, an arrangement that is part and parcel of implementing five-year strategic plan.
“This is useful for planning intervention to reduce maternal mobility and mortality in health facilities” he noted.
Dr Siwale further explained that the common causes of maternal deaths are hemorrhage, sepsis, hypertension, disorders and eclamapsia, abortion complications and obstructed labour.
Other factors in the list are delay in making the decision to care on the part of women with pregnancy-related complications and delay to receive care in health facilities.
“Maternal deaths could be reduced significantly if all women with pregnancy related complications arrive at health facilities on time and subsequently receive emergency obstetric and neonatal services,” explained the medical in charge officer.
