Issued by: Department of Health
6 November 1997
Pretoria - The implementation of the Maternal Mortality Notification which comes into effect on December 1 will ensure that not only is the high incidences of pregnancy related deaths reduced but that, "no woman should ever again die from a preventative cause."
According to Dr Eddie Mhlanga, Director for Maternal, Child and Women's Health in the Department of Health, the previous Government refused to make maternal deaths notifiable because they were regarded as not of public health concern.
The department will hold a meeting with stakeholders this Friday to iron out the finer points of a notice which was gazetted on October 3. Present will be representatives of the departments of welfare, transport, justice labour, mineral and energy, the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, MASA, S.A. Council of Churches, Reproductive Health Research Unit at Baragwanath, Nehawu, SACBC, NPPHCN, National Women's Coalition's gender desk, IFP's Gauteng Women's Secretariat, the NP Gauteng Legislature and traditional healers.
The Department of Health believes that the high statistics of pregnancy related deaths are simply not acceptable in the new dispensation.
"It is the belief of health workers all over the world that a woman does not need to die of pregnancy. It has been recognised that maternal deaths are preventable," said Dr Mhlanga ahead of the meeting.
The notification will compel medical health practitioners to take note and record causes of death, whether it is through ectopic pregnancies, abortions, birth delivery and of excessive bleeding up to six weeks after delivery.
"When such deaths occur, the hospital or practitioner will need to investigate, a practice done only at teaching hospitals. The purpose is to prevent further deaths by identifying weaknesses in the community, in the health services and in the training of health workers. Lack of resources will, in the process, be highlighted such as transport facilities, roads and telecommunications," said Dr Mhlanga.
He pointed out that countries like Britain where notification is mandatory, maternal deaths had decreased. While maternal deaths are 3 per 100 000 for whites, for Indians is was 7 to 8 per 100 000, 18 per 100 000 for coloureds and a staggering 58 per 100 000 in the African communities.
"And this does not include the unrecorded cases in far flung rural areas," he said.