Question NW3286 to the Minister of Health
03 November 2023 - NW3286
Khawula, Ms MS to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What plans has his department put in place to (a) increase the capacity to carry out caesarean sections and (b) provide the necessary equipment for the specified operations in public hospitals as infants die as a result of the lack of adequate equipment; (2) whether he has found that the lack of equipment and capacity resulting in injuries to women and deaths of infants are challenges for his department in providing quality health care for women in labour and their babies; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1..(a) The National Department of Health has put the following interventions in place to increase the capacity to carry out caesarean sections:
- Department developed various support services to strengthen capacity at lower levels of care. Support services include in/outreach programmes by specialists, use of District Clinical Specialist Teams to address the issues of knowledge and skill to performance of C/Section. Use of family physicians to support midwives in identification of risk factors for women who may require caesarian section to be referred early to next level of care.
- The Provincial Departments implement the continuous drills at facility level to upskill the staff to timeously and efficiently prepare women for caesarian section even in the case of emergency, this is part of the Essential Steps on Management of Obstetric Emergency ( ESMOE) training course.
b) Each health facility conducts an essential equipment audit as described within the Caesarian section guideline (monologue) to determine the equipment deficit status and develop the replacement plans as prescribed by the supply chain management systems.
2. Department conducts an in-depth analysis of the causes of both maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity which are communicated through the saving mothers and babies report. The latest report (2020-2022) indicate that the key causes of neonatal deaths are prematurity, asphyxia and infections. While the department acknowledges that there are incidences of human resource and equipment shortages, they are not documented as causes of neonatal deaths in public health facilities.
END.