15 Oct 2015

In an effort to reduce the rate of maternal mortality in the country, the Ministry of Health has put measures in place to address the issue.

In an interview with BOPA, the coordinator for Maternal and Newborn programme in the ministry Ms Boitumelo Thipe said two years ago the ministry introduced maternal mortality reduction quality improvement initiative. She said through this initiative, data, managing mothers correctly throughout the pregnancy has been initiated. 

She also pointed out that the ministry does some auditing after every death to access its cause, to close the gaps as far as maternal mortality is concerned.

Furthermore she said there were ongoing programmes to train health workers to continue doing the right thing. 

Talking about the causes of  maternal mortality, she noted that abortion is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths, therefore the ministry is vigorously trying to manage all the incomplete abortions that came into the health facilities.

Ms Thipe said incomplete abortions are treated quickly within two hours, to ensure that complications do not occur.

“Most of the mothers that we are losing were the ones that complicate from the normal abortion, and because of the delay they end up with an infection,” she said. 

Ms Thipe told BOPA that, bleeding during delivery or pregnancy, hypertensive disorders such as high blood pressure during pregnancy are also the contributing factors of maternal mortality.

She stressed that in the past few years HIV/AIDS was also a major contributing factor, but since the introduction of antiretroviral treatment to pregnant mothers at early stage, the number has gone down.

Ms Thipe said Princes Marina Hospital in Gaborone as well as Nyangabwe Hospital in Francistown were experiencing high numbers of maternal mortality as they are referral hospitals and accommodate most of the critical  cases.

She noted that Ngamiland is also an area with high maternal mortality, as Maun caters for the Ngamiland area which stretches as far as the Gumare area.

She further noted that district hospitals such as Deborah Retief Memorial Hospital in Mochudi, Sekgoma memorial hospital in Serowe, Athlone hospital in Lobatse, have been experiencing large numbers. Ms Thipe said in 2011 they recorded maternal mortality rate of 189 per 100 thousand live births, of which 85 mothers were lost.

In 2012 she said the number of mothers who passed away slightly reduced to 148 per thousand live births which means 74 mothers were lost during the same  period.

She further said 2013 was not a good year for the ministry as the rate increased from 148 to 182 per thousand live births. She said the ministry is currently waiting for the 2014 maternal mortality rates which she believes will be lower than what was recorded last year.

She said the reproductive age group (22- 34 years) is experiencing big numbers in maternal mortality, adding that these are mothers expected to increase the population.

In addition Ms Thipe said the ministry is trying to improve family planning services, by increasing birth control methods. She stressed that the ministry is working towards buying the birth control patch which is a hormonal contraception. Ends