ZIMBABWE has recorded an increase in neonatal mortality rate from 31 to 37 deaths per 1 000 live births from 2015 to 2024 despite registering gains in maternal mortality.
Maternal mortality has declined from 652 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births in 2015 to 212 per 100 000 in 2024.
Addressing delegates during the official opening of the inaugural Zimbabwe Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAHN) Conference in Harare yesterday, Health and Child Care minister Douglas Mombeshora said maternal and neonatal mortalities were among the clearest indicators of how well a health system functions.
“This is a clear signal — perhaps the clearest we have — that quality of care around childbirth and the immediate postnatal period must improve,” Mombeshora said.
“Our newborns are the most vulnerable and their outcomes reflect the readiness, reliability and responsiveness of our health services.”
He said ending preventable maternal and perinatal mortality was a national health priority.
Keep Reading
- Nurses fume over paltry govt loans
- 'Apostolic sects frustrating fight against measles'
- Zanu PF old guard retain CC posts
- Opinion: GZU School of Medicine should improve health service in Masvingo
“This is a clarion call for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response,” he said.
“Maternal and child health touches every ministry and every sector: from transport and energy that keep facilities functioning and reachable; to water and sanitation that prevent infections; to education that empowers girls; to finance that sustains essential commodities; and to local government and communities that connect households with care.”
Mombeshora said government had set an ambitious target to reduce maternal mortality to fewer than 70 deaths per 100 000 live births and neonatal mortality to fewer than 12 deaths per 1 000 live births by 2030.
United Nations Population Fund country representative Miranda Tabifor emphasised the need to address the remaining gaps in quality of care and ensure that no woman dies while giving life.
“Key focus areas should prioritise reducing preventable mortality by strengthening primary healthcare systems, improving quality of care, ensuring equity and addressing environmental/social determinants, adolescent health, nutrition, digital innovation, deepening community engagement and expanding strategic partnerships.”
The government has often been accused of failing to adequately fund the health sector, with Treasury failing over the years to set aside 15% of the national budget, as stated by the Abuja Declaration, a landmark commitment where African Union member States pledged to allocate at least 15% of their annual budgets to improve the health sector, specifically targeting HIV and Aids, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
The health sector relied on donors, which has proved to be fragile in the past year after donors pulled out leaving wide cracks in the sector.