Original article
English
Huda S Gashut*, Sagier Alzahra*, Mustapha Gawas**, A. Ltaif***
*Aljal Maternity Hospital,**Tripoli Medical Center, ***Alkhadra Hospital
JMJ Vol. 4, No. 1 (Summer 2005): 43-48
Abstract
For obstetricians and midwives practising in the developing countries, maternal mortality is not about statistics. It is about women who have faces, women who have names. Faces which continue to live in our memories and hunt our dreams. Not simply because these are women in the prime of their lives who die at the time of expectation and joy; not simply because maternal death is One of the most terrible ways to die But above all because every maternal death is an event that could be Prevented and never have allowed to happen. Pregnancy associated death in the three university teaching hospitals in the Tripoli from January 2000 to December 2002 where identified using enhanced methods. Preventability and pregnancy relatedness where determined by case review. Maternal mortality ratio was calculated. The similarities and differences in the medical causes of maternal mortality between developed and developing countries reviewed from the literature. We recorded that in spite of the availability of high quality obstetric care, high Rate of institutional deliveries, a nearly universal prenatal care and a reported presence of a trained attendance at the deliveries, maternal mortality remains much higher than developed countries. In a country with a high rate of literacy, well developed road system, large number of vehicles, and accessible care facilities, this maternal mortality rate is not acceptable. Documentation faults are mentioned. The necessity to appropriate policies and management practices is stressed upon. The need to assess the quality of services is primordial. The specific needs must be met to achieve progress.
Keywords: Maternal mortality rate, total deliveries, total births, multiple pregnancies, stillbirths, sepsis, haemorrhage, antenatal care, obstetric care ,eclampsia
Link/DOI: http://www.jmj.org.ly/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9