Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. SAKUBVA District Hospital is making strides in eliminating maternal mortality owing to ongoing interventions by the government, NewsDay can report.
The development, according to Mutare district medical officer, David Muchirewese, has seen the hospital recording a decrease in maternal deaths.
“Going back two, three years ago, the number of maternal deaths was on the high side. Last year, we had about five maternal deaths. For this year, we have only one, which is a very significant improvement from the previous year,” he said.
“In terms of maternal deaths, monthly, we would be having 30 to 40 deaths. We have had a significant improvement due to training which is ongoing. We have had what we call images of maternal and neonatal care training which were done,” he added.
Muchirewese said the training helped them in early identification of mothers at risk who are referred to the health centre level of care.
“I want to say that last year, we received new evidence and this is also going our way in actually improving our response to emergencies. We have been able to respond to 90%-95% of our emergencies that we were called to assist,” he said.
The district medical officer said the hospital recorded an average of 116 births per week, with their emergency response system working on an average of 45 births per week, saving lives.
“We are also having what we are calling response time to emergencies,” he said.
“Of the 45, 21 of them were actually emergencies and all of them were done in 30 minute, which is a significant improvement in terms of our response to emergencies within a stipulated timeframe.”
Meanwhile, speaking to journalists on a tour of the district, Chipinge district medical officer Ozimmo Matekenya said they were also making strides in maternal healthcare.
“Most pregnant mothers are now booking their pregnancies at our facilities, which is a plus to us,” he said.
“As a result, we get good outcomes, better outcomes, like reduced maternal mortality, reduced infant and child mortality as well.
“These are good trends that we are seeing in the district.”
Matekenya said the hospital had up to 850 deliveries every month.
“Last month, we had 178 caesarean sections done,” he said.
Recently, Health and Child Care ministry national maternal child health officer Chipo Chimamise-Dembedza said the ministry had set targets specifically to reduce maternal mortality.
“The Sustainable Development Goals reflect a strong commitment to improving healthcare services and ensuring that no women dies while giving birth,” she said.
“The ministry’s ongoing efforts will be crucial in achieving this target and fostering a healthier future of Zimbabwean mothers.”
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