Child, maternal mortality rates significantly reduced – chief medical officer

Guyana has been making significant strides in the reduction of child and maternal mortalities, Chief Medical Officer Shamdeo Persaud said.

He was at the time addressing media operatives at a colloquium facilitated by the Health Ministry and the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) on Saturday.
According to Persaud, in 1991, there were approximately 1600 under five deaths recorded across the country, but by 2005, this figure dropped considerably to approximately 395 deaths per annum.
In 2011, the figure stood at approximately 237 as it relates to children under the age of five who died. This is a great accomplishment, the chief medical officer posited, noting that the under-five mortality rate in the country stands at 16.3 to every 1000 live births.
He explained that Guyana was among 147 countries to sign the Millennium Declaration in 2000, which includes the reduction of under-five mortality rate to 20 deaths to every 1000 live births.
Respiratory disorders, physical defects, slow foetal growth, acute respiratory infection, obstetric complications, HIV/AIDS, accidental drowning and submersion were among causes that were linked to child mortality during the specified period.
Turning his attention to the trends in live births during the period 1991-2011, the chief medical officer pointed that in 1991, 18,000 babies were delivered, however, only an average of 8000 were attended to by professionals in the medical field.
This trend has taken a positive turn, and by 2011, there were 14,000 plus babies delivered across the country with most of them receiving medical attention from professionals during the initial stages of their lives.
“Up to 2011, about 96 per cent of our deliveries were attended by someone who was skilled, and this means someone who was professionally skilled and even licensed to do this job, because all of our midwives and our rural midwives are licensed by the Nursing Council of Guyana.”
Negligible home delivery
He was keen on noting that in 2011, less than one per cent of the total number of live deliveries occurred at home and in communities, while the majority (5214) was delivered at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
However, this is not the picture often painted in sections of the press, the chief medical officer lamented. “Now, only one per cent of our deliveries take place at home and I think when you look at the media sometimes, it looks like more…you might feel that this is a very common thing,” but this is not the case, he contended.
As part of the Millennium Development Goals for the period 2000-2015, countries have agreed to reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio. This too has been accomplished with the ratio standing at 9.7 in 2011.
Haemorrhage, eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension and acute respiratory distress were among the key causes of maternal death, the health official stated. The reduction of child and maternal mortalities was attributed to the constantly improving health sector.
UNFPA representatives and Dr Janice Woolford were among other officials who presented on issues such as safe motherhood and emergency obstetric care during the media colloquium.
Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran said five years ago, child and maternal mortalities have been big issues in the press, but most of the information was false.