Recommended reading
Report of the summative evaluation of the essential obstetric care project in Mpongwe, Masaiti and Lufwanyama
A strategy for reducing maternal mortality in rural Zambia
Authors:
J. Alwar; V. Mtonga; B. Sikatoye
Publisher:
United Nations Children's Fund, 2000
This document reports on a UNICEF project aimed at reducing maternal mortality in three rural districts in Zambia. The strategy adopted was to improve the quality of obstetric care at primary level health facilities and ensure supportive complementary care at second and tertiary level referral hospitals. This is achieved by providing training in: the role of midwives, antenatal care, management of pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, obstructed labour, post-partum haemorrhage, and malaria in pregnancy and nutrition.
The report shows that this intervention led to gradual strengthened capacity of the districts to provide EmOC services. It concludes that with active community mobilisation and demonstration of improvement of care of clients, use of modern health care will be popularised. The authors make several recommendations. These include: postnatal and child health clinics should be integrated to enhance efficiency; the relationship with local communities should be strengthened to enhance utilisation of EmOC; back referrals from hospitals to health centres should be strengthened especially in cases where clients did not pass through health centre; and infrastructure for deliveries and storage of drugs should be improved.
