The Burden of Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH)
Several efforts have been made to improve the Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) situation but gaps still exist for improvement and mortality declines in recent decades of maternal and under five mortality rates in the ECOWAS lag behind global as well as sub-Saharan averages.
Additionally, mortality trends for West Africa are wide at the national and sub-national levels indicating problems with equity.
Factors influencing the slow progress on the continent include the following:
• Low skilled attendance at delivery,
• Low met need for emergency obstetric and neonatal care
• persistence of sexual and gender-based violence and
• High adolescent fertility rates.
Approximately 62 per cent of all maternal deaths worldwide occur in Africa.
Maternal mortality is unacceptably high in a number of nations in sub-Saharan Africa.
Maternal death rates are exceptionally high in West Africa as indicated in the data below:
• Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternal mortality rate of 1,360 deaths per 100,000 births live births on the continent. In 2017, the maternal mortality rate hangs at 1120 deaths per 100,000 births.
• Ghana’s maternal mortality rate is 308 deaths per 100,000 births
• Niger’s maternal mortality rate is 509 deaths per 100,000 births
• Burkina Faso’s mortality rate is 320 deaths per 100,000 births
• Cote d’Ivoire’s mortality rate is 617 deaths per 100,000 births
Credit:
Bhutta Z., Das J.K., Bahl R., Lawn J.E., Salam R.A., Paul V.K., Sankar M.J., Blencowe H., Rizvi A., Chou V.B., Walker N., (2014) Can available interventions end preventable deaths in mothers, newborn babies, and stillbirths, and at what cost? Lancet 2014; 384: 347 – 70
IHME July 2014. GBD 2013 data. https://www.healthdata.org/results
Victoria C.G., Requejo J.H., Barros A.J.D. et al Countdown to 2015: a decade of tracking progress for maternal, newborn, and child survival. Lancet 2015 www.thelancet.com. Published online October 16, 2015. http://dx.doi,org/10.1016/50140.6736(15000519.X
L’Agence Nationale de la Statistique and ICF International 2012. 2010-11 Senegal Demographic and Health and Muliple Indicator Survey. Key Findings. Calverton, Maryland. USA. ANSD and ICF Int. https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/SR192/SR192.pdf