Comments on maternal deaths “not helpful, malicious” – Public Health Minister

In light of Shadow Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony’s statement that the rise in maternal mortality cases is evidence that the health system is broken, Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton has stated that it was malicious given that the present government inherited this situation.
“To say that we don’t have proper surveillance system and that the system in a whole is broken is not helpful at all, since what is happening now at the Georgetown Public Hospital and in the country was worst five years ago,” Norton stated.
He reminded that this administration has managed to decrease the maternal mortality ratio in 2015 and 2016 as promised. “We are trying and we are fixing the system so it is wrong to make those statements. Instead it is malicious,” he added.
Dr Anthony had stated that the Health Ministry needed to have better surveillance to monitor all pregnancies, especially high-risk cases. Noting that attendance of antennal clinic was crucial for the health of every expecting mother and child, Anthony opined that this was lacking in the system and reiterated the need for better surveillance.
“The maternal deaths is evidence that the system is weak,” Dr Anthony had said.
However, in response, Norton said the Ministry has been concentrating on its primary healthcare system and it has reduced the number of maternal deaths.
Dr Norton further highlighted that out of the 11 maternal mortality cases for the year, eight occurred at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GHPC). He pointed to the fact that when the Government took office the number of cases was higher.
“Now we have a handover system at the GPHC. We have 40 doctors all who would discuss every maternal case in the ward every day. It is for the mothers to come to the clinics. We can only do so much,” Norton added.
According to a UNICEF report, the estimated maternal mortality rate, which presently stands at 229 per 100,000 live births, has not shown any significant decline since the year 2000.
The causes for maternal deaths could be divided into two groups: deaths directly related to obstetric complications during pregnancy and indirect obstetric deaths.
According to the report, around 73 per cent of the maternal deaths in 2012 were direct maternal deaths, ie, those resulting from obstetric difficulties of the pregnant state (pregnancy, delivery and postpartum); interventions; omissions; incorrect treatment; or a chain of events resulting from any of these.
On the other hand, indirect obstetric deaths occur as a result of either previously existing conditions or from complications arising in pregnancy, which are not related to direct obstetric causes, but may be aggravated by the physiological effects of pregnancy.
These include such conditions as HIV and AIDS, malaria, anaemia and cardiovascular diseases. Indirect causes were responsible for 27 per cent of the deaths in 2012.