Burundi registers 500 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births according to the results of the 2010 Demographic and Health Survey. Maternal mortality is defined as "the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, regardless of the time or location, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.”
According to the Obstetrical and Neonatal Care Needs Assessment done in 2010, Burundi had, only 5 health facilities offering Basic Emergency Obstetric Care (BEmOC), and 17 offering Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care (CEmOC) Services, while the country should have at least 66 BEmOC Health facilities. According to the same study, these women death causes are related to hemorrhage, sepsis, hypertensive disorders, abortion complications, and prolonged labor or obstructed labor complications. All those causes can be effectively treated in any health system with trained staff and appropriate equipment and medicines to deal with emergencies and postpartum care.
In this situation, with the support of UNFPA, 78 targeted Health Facilities in the 6 provinces of activities concentration of UNFPA Burundi (all hospitals in these provinces and the most remote health centers with a high volume of deliveries) has been reinforced by training of 2 health care providers in maternity wards, but also by providing life-saving medicines and essential equipment to ensure quality care for women with obstetric complications. The training aims to strengthen the skills to support the 5 major direct causes of maternal deaths and neonatal asphyxia.
Thus, monitoring data from 19 hospitals by national trainers show a significant improvement in indicators with an increase in the management of complications, especially a reduction in the number of maternal and neonatal deaths in the supported hospitals (from 71 to 45 case of maternal deaths between the first 2 semesters of 2013 and 2014, from 233 to 183 neonatal deaths). Although the country is making progress in terms of health care quality, women still have transportation difficulties if the need for referral to a CEmOC hospital.
To reduce the third delay related to maternal mortality, UNFPA Burundi is providing a support of six ambulances to the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS to reduce the reference delay for patients from health centers to hospitals. In addition, a truck was awarded to CAMEBU to improve the supply system of essential medicines for health facilities which include contraceptives methods and lifesaving drugs for mothers and newborns. UNFPA Burundi took this opportunity to offer three vehicles to national NGOs (PMC, Kamenge Youth Centre and Nturengaho) to strengthen their reproductive health demand creation activities, combined with offer of health services especially family planning for adolescents and youth.
