THE Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) recently launched the new Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) package at the National Referral Hospital in an effort to save mothers’ lives.
In 2015 there were, on average, two maternal deaths every month in the Solomon Islands.
“In the Solomon Islands we are losing too many mothers, and many of these deaths can be prevented with strengthened antenatal care, improved referral systems and …ensuring all health workers can provide quality Emergency Obstetric Care,” MHMS Permanent Secretary Dr. Tenneth Dalipanda stated.
EmOC is a package of evidence based actions and interventions that address the most common causes of maternal death, such as pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (high blood pressure and/or fitting), post-partum haemorrhage (bleeding after giving birth) and prolonged labour (labour that takes too long and threatens the life of the mother and unborn baby).
The package also provides updates to health workers about normal deliveries.
“The new EmOC package is a hands-on competency based training for health workers to increase quality of care for mothers. It also identifies and addresses health system issues that contribute to maternal deaths,” said National Maternal Safe Motherhood Program Coordinator Mrs Betty Manehanitai.
“The World Health Organization has supported the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to develop this new national EmOC package, and is committed to working with the MHMS to roll out EmOC to the Provinces,” said Dr Sevil Huseynova, WHO Representative in Solomon Islands.
The MHMS Reproductive Child Health Division has been working with NRH clinicians and the WHO country office to develop this evidence-based package for over one year. EmOC will be rolled out to NRH, Malaita and Choiseul in 2016. These Provinces have been targeted as they have the highest number of maternal deaths.
EmOC will eventually be rolled out to all Provinces, with the aim being to deliver EmOC to all doctors and nurses working with pregnant women.