National plan to curb maternal mortality established

The government of the Republic of Congo (ROC), with the support of UN agencies, has put in place a national plan to curb maternal mortality. "On the behalf of the United Nations, we commit ourselves to support the technical team which will be set up to draft the national plan. We will give the team all the means so that the expected goals can be achieved very soon," Richard Dackam-Ngatchou, the country representative of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), said on Sunday on national radio. This followed Friday's launching of the country's first national day against maternal mortality at a ceremony held in the capital, Brazzaville. Dackam-Ngatchou said UNFPA, in partnership with the government, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) had committed themselves to ending maternal mortality in the country. The national day against maternal mortality was organised by the government and supported by the UN. Some 250 specialists and providers of reproduction health - some of them from Benin, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo - attended Friday's launching ceremony. The day marked the laying of the basis for the national plan to fight maternal and neonatal mortality in Congo. "A national action plan was needed. We realised that a strategy with specific goals were needed," said Samuel Nzingoula, a professor at the Medical Faculty of Marien Ngouabi University in Brazzaville. "The national plan will strengthen the partnership between the government and its partners," Dr Nestor Azandegbe, the regional counsellor for low-risk pregnancy at the WHO Africa office, said. According to the UNFPA Congo cooperation programme 2004-2008, the Republic of Congo is one the countries where the maternal mortality rate remain high. According to figures provided by the Ministry of Health, 1,100 women die during every 100,000 childbirths. Dackam-Ngatchou said these deaths could be avoided. "A woman who experiences some complications should be treated in time," he said. "A young woman should be taught in order to avoid early pregnancy. A woman should be able to go to a health centre in order to get a birth control without fearing reprisals from her family." He added: "The centre should be located close to the woman so that she can go there in case of emergency. The road to get to the centre should be accessible. Law about reproduction health should be popularised and consciously enforced." Maternal mortality can be explained by various factors: most of the health centres across the country do not offer quality emergency services. According to obstetrician surgeon Robert Koubaka, the problem should be resolved without delay as pregnant women often experience complications. He said working conditions in the health centres should be improved and qualified workers and emergency drugs made available in such facilities. "It is not right that operating theatres are not available after 2pm on holidays and during weekend days in some hospitals," Koubaka said. Women's low level of education; the difficulty to access health centres and obstetrician care in case of emergency; the absence of a good family planning; the poor nutrition of women, the low social mobilisation and poverty are also causes of high mortality rates.