Wa Municipal records 10 maternal deaths in 2024

The Wa Municipality recorded 10 maternal deaths in 2024, a reduction of one death from the 11 recorded in 2023.

This was announced by the Wa Municipal Director of Health Services, Dr Alex Bapula, at the 2024 Annual Performance Review Meeting of the Wa Municipal Health Directorate.

The meeting was held on the theme: Reducing the High Level of Prevalence of Anemia Through Effective Counseling, the Role of Health Staff and Community.

He acknowledged that maternal deaths are a problem for health authorities in the municipality but was quick to add that the directorate has identified the contributing factors and is working to address them.

“Clearly is a challenge to us, but the problems are things that we have already identified. Wa is a referral centre, if you look at the maternal deaths people are referring all the way from the districts because we have the regional hospital here that has a lot of lifesaving interventions. People are more likely to move some of the complicated cases here. So when they don’t refer them early and they come, sometimes we lose some of these mothers.”

He mentioned delayed referrals from other districts and health facilities and poor road networks as some of the causes of these maternal deaths.

Dr. Bapula noted the importance of family support for pregnant women and urged chiefs and queen mothers to promote attendance at antenatal care.