On September 17 – 18, 2024, the Countdown to 2030 project team held a technical meeting on Improving the Measurement of Maternal and Perinatal Mortality Rates in the Population through Health Facility Data at Johari Rotana Hotel, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The objectives of the meeting included; 

1. Sharing and discussing the experiences of countries in monitoring institutional mortality statistics (maternal mortality ratios, stillbirth rates, and neonatal mortality before discharge) through routine facility reporting, e.g., DHIS2 and MPDSR
2. Presenting and discussing methods to assess data quality and develop estimates of institutional and population mortality rates based on health facility data and,
3. Discussing ways in which the completeness of reporting of maternal deaths, stillbirths, and early neonatal deaths in health facilities can be assessed to obtain better country statistics/estimates.

The outputs of the meeting were;

1. Synthetic report or paper on the main approaches and findings from the participating countries and Country Annual Meeting 2024
2. Synthesis of discussions on possible ways to assess completeness of facility reporting of maternal and perinatal deaths
3. Synthesis of discussions on analytical methods to improve estimation of institutional and population maternal mortality and stillbirth rates at national and subnational methods.

In attendance were representatives from Countdown collaboration countries that have recently advanced the measurement and monitoring agenda for maternal and/or stillbirths/perinatal mortality. Each country was represented by the Ministry of Health and the lead Countdown country institution. In addition, Countdown staff and other experts weree in attendance.

Below was the meeting agenda;

Morning – Day 1, September 17, 2024

• General introduction, objectives, background
• Current ways to estimate maternal mortality, stillbirths, and neonatal mortality in the population: purpose, methods, use, review of new survey and census data
• Comparison of the consistency between maternal mortality, stillbirth, and neonatal mortality estimates: insights from the mortality transition model
• Country analyses of routine health facility data, MPDSR and other sources to obtain institutional maternal mortality, stillbirths, and early neonatal mortality statistics at the national and subnational levels.

Afternoon – Day 1, September 17, 2024

• Country analyses continued
• Summary of data from Countdown collaboration countries in sub-Saharan Africa on maternal mortality, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths in health facilities
• Insights from institutional mortality in research studies in LMIC / sub-Saharan Africa.

Morning – Day 2, September 18, 2024

• Methods to assess and adjust for incomplete reporting of deaths
• Methods to compute population mortality from institutional mortality (and other sources)
• Ways to improve estimates of the reporting completeness by health facilities, including integrated approaches (death reporting in, e.g., DHIS2, MPDSR)

Afternoon – Day 2, September 18, 2024

• Finalize recommendations for the way forward
• Close