On October 3, 2024, the Zimbabwe Countdown collaboration team participated in the country’s Ministry of Health and Child Care technical meeting on National Maternal and Perinatal Deaths Surveillance and Response as a member of the National Technical Working Group on Reproductive Health.

The meeting’s objectives were to review the statistics on maternal and perinatal health zoning in the Midlands Province, discuss the application of the previous meeting recommendations, examine current data, and plan strategies for enhancing health outcomes in Zimbabwe.

Opening Remarks

In her opening remarks, Dr. Mary Muchekeza, provincial medical director for Midlands, emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing maternal and perinatal health challenges. She stressed the importance of remembering to review beyond indicators, as the loss of a single life is one too many as each case is someone’s sister, mother, or friend, and it is essential to do the best we can to eradicate preventable loss of life.

Maternal and Perinatal Statistics for Zimbabwe

During the meeting, the latest analysis of Zimbabwe’s maternal and perinatal statistics was shared. The analyses were based on secondary data from surveys, health facility data for 2019 to 2023, broader Countdown to 2030 data, and policy and health system reviews to describe RMNCAH trends. The data revealed ongoing challenges, including regional disparities in health outcomes, which necessitate targeted interventions.

Review Zimbabwe data from the 2024 annual meeting.

Midlands Province Maternal and Perinatal Health Review

The Midlands Provincial Maternal Child Health Officer provided an overview of the provincial situation. Of note was the spike in maternal deaths (55 as of midyear) and neonatal deaths (936 as of midyear) in 2024.

This was followed by case reviews and discussions on how the province can reverse the tide in the continued increase in mortality. The discussions highlighted systemic issues, case studies, best practices, and potential interventions.

Discussion Points and Way Forward

Discussion on the issues raised during case reviews led to action items shared in minutes from the proceedings. Of note include:

• Further investigations are required to review the increase in neonatal deaths at the primary care level despite the increase in institutional deliveries over the years.
• The need to roll out the International Classification of Diseases (ICD11) training countrywide after trainers have completed their training.
• Considerations for tracking institutional maternal and perinatal deaths through digital health systems to promote reporting completeness and timeliness.
• Need to lobby for a review budget allocation focusing on maternal health conditions as care for clients is currently using other budget lines, as illustrated in the case presented on a nearly two-week stay in ICU by a maternity patient.
• Widening inequality in the provision of cesarean sections calls for reviewing service access by women of lower wealth quintiles.
• Health facilities need to be assessed to ensure adequate coverage of BEmONC and CEmONC standards in delivery institutions.