Bauchi Records 872 Perinatal Deaths In 6 Months

Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BSPHDA) has said that 872 maternal and perinatal deaths were recorded in 123 health facilities between July and December 2022.

The focal person of the state’s Maternal and Perinatal Deaths Surveillance Review (MPDSR), Mrs Jummai Inuwa, disclosed this at a two-day review meeting in Bauchi.

MPDSR is a form of continuous surveillance that links the health information system and quality improvement processes from local to national levels, which includes routine identification, notification, quantification and determination of causes and the use of such information to prevent future deaths.

The pause and reflection meeting was organised quarterly by the Integrated Health Programme (IHP) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to ascertain activities, and identify issues and recommendations to expedite action in health and education sectors in the state.

Inuwa said Bauchi State MPDSR recorded 56 maternal and 816 perinatal deaths from July to December 2022. She noted that the MPDSR data is from 123 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and 20 general hospitals, adding that 31 maternal and 330 perinatal deaths were recorded within the stipulated period.

According to her, the general hospital in Toro recorded 14 maternal deaths, Ningi 11 and Azare six, adding that Toro recorded 162 perinatal deaths, Ningi 111 and Misau 106.

The focal person also said that some measures to be employed to reduce the burden include access to antenatal care, post-abortion care, task shifting and sharing, among others.

Earlier, the state officer for USAID-IHP, Dr Siaka Alhasan, recalled the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2022, which indicated that Bauchi health indices were poor, hence the need for in-depth conversation on doing the right thing for quality medicare.

The permanent secretary, Bauchi State Ministry of Health, Mr Ali Babayo, urged health agencies to work towards sustaining programmes being implemented by development partners.