By Lizzy Carr, Bauchi
Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency says it recorded 872 maternal and perinatal deaths in 123 health facilities between July and December, 2022.
The state focal person of Maternal and Perinatal Deaths Surveillance Review (MPDRS), Jummai Inuwa stated this at a two-day pause, and reflect learning session organised by USAID IHP in Bauchi.
MPDRS is a form of continuous surveillance links the health information system and quality improvement processes from local with national levels.
It includes the routine identification, notification, quantification and determination of causes and avoid ability of all maternal and perinatal deaths, as well as the use of this information to respond to actions that will prevent future deaths.
The pause and reflect session is a quarterly event organized by USAID-Integrated Health Program (USAID-IHP) to review activities for first quarter 2023, identify challenges, and proffer recommendations to expedite action in the health and education sectors in the state.
“According to the (MPDSR) for July to December 2022 shows that the state recorded 56 women died as a result of child birth and 816 perinatal deaths.
“This data is from 123 Primary Health Care facilities and 20 general hospitals in the State. Among these deaths 31 maternal and 330 perinatal deaths were reviewed within 48 hours.
“General hospitals Toro, Ningi, and Azare recorded the highest maternal death with 14, 11, and six, respectively.
“The General Hospitals Toro, Ningi and Misau recorded the highest perinatal death with 162, 111 and 106, respectively,” she added.
Mrs. Inuwa said primary health care centers in Futuk, Disina, Lanzai, and Tilden Fulani record the highest perinatal deaths in the state.
Measures, she said that would be employed to reduce the burden include access to antenatal care, MPDRS, post abortion care, task shifting, and sharing policy, among others.
The state director of USAID-IHP, Dr. Siaka Alhasan who said that findings of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2022 indicates poor health indices for Bauchi.
She stressed the need for stakeholders to think of reasons why this is happening despite huge investment in the sector.
“The state has allocated 15% in the 2023 budget to health, and thus as stakeholders we must work to change the status quo”.
The Permanent secretary, Bauchi State Ministry of Health, Ali Babayo urged health agencies to work towards sustainability of programmes implemented by development partners in the state.
