Online ReporterRumbidzayi Zinyuke
Senior Health Reporter
ZIMBABWE is putting in place targeted measures to fight rising neonatal deaths, as Government shifts focus to improving the quality of care during childbirth and the critical first days of life.
Zimbabwe’s maternal mortality ratio declined from 652 deaths per 100 000 live births in 2015 to 212 per 100 000 in 2024.
Speaking at the official opening of the inaugural national Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH-N) Conference in Harare yesterday, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the rise in neonatal mortality was a clear signal that improvements were needed in intrapartum and immediate postnatal care.
He said maternal and neonatal mortality remained key indicators of the performance and equity of the health system.
“A nation’s progress is measured not only by the growth of its GDP, but by the health and well-being of its people, especially mothers and newborns. Maternal and neonatal mortality are among the most sensitive indicators of how well our health system functions and how equitably services reach every community,” Dr Mombeshora said.
“The neonatal mortality rate has risen from 31 to 37 deaths per 1 000 live births. This is a clear signal, perhaps the clearest we have, that quality of care around childbirth and the immediate postnatal period must improve. Our newborns are the most vulnerable and their outcomes reflect the readiness, reliability and responsiveness of our health services.”
Dr Mombeshora said as Zimbabwe pursues Vision 2030 and implements the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), social development must keep pace with economic ambitions.
Ministry of Health and Child Care Director Family Health, Dr Dorcas Mutede, said a deeper analysis of national and facility-based data was helping the Ministry identify specific gaps driving maternal and perinatal deaths, with a view to tailoring targeted interventions.
On perinatal outcomes, she said data showed that a significant proportion of deaths were occurring either during labour or shortly after birth, with first-time mothers disproportionately affected.
“Nearly the same proportion of perinatal deaths are happening either intrapartum or in the immediate period after delivery. We are also noting that a large number of these deaths are among first-time mothers, and that 66 percent of mothers who lost their babies had hypertensive disorders,” Dr Mutede said.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country director, Ms Miranda Tabifor, said the conference was a historic platform for aligning policy, financing and implementation.
“Zimbabwe has made commendable progress, but we are at a crossroads due to significant funding gaps, particularly in contraceptive commodities. Without commodities, we cannot have successful programmes,” she said.
Ms Tabifor said increasing domestic financing and ensuring sustainability would be critical to protecting gains in family planning and maternal health.
UNICEF Deputy Representative Programmes Mr Fiachra McAsey said Zimbabwe’s progress in reducing maternal mortality was encouraging, but warned that neonatal deaths required urgent attention.
“Globally, more than 700 women die every day from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about 70 percent of these deaths. In Zimbabwe, while maternal mortality has declined, neonatal mortality has increased, and many of these deaths occur in the first week of life from preventable causes such as prematurity, birth asphyxia and infections,” he said.
