PAHO/WHO for Suriname, 11 March 2020 - Suriname is among the five countries in the region with the highest maternal mortality and stillborn rate. The maternal mortality ratio in Suriname is estimated at 120 per 100,000 live births (2017), with an average of 12 maternal deaths per year (2010-2018). To reach the 2030 regional target of 30, the number of deaths will need to be reduced significantly.
Based on this worrying situation, the Ministry of Public Health with support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has established a steering committee tasked with implementing measures to improve maternal health and reduce the number of deaths.
Women face various barriers to accessing quality health care. Although much improved during 2019, several women experience barriers in obtaining health insurance cards, which lead to delayed care-seeking and obstetric complications. Funds for transportation, costs for temporary residence and unexpected medical costs are a problem for women of lower socio-economic backgrounds. Other issues are insufficient coverage and quality of antenatal care and postnatal care, insufficient birth spacing, teenage pregnancies, and unmet need for contraception. Lack of awareness also contributes to late health-seeking and unhealthy behavior, and high levels of anemia, obesity, diabetes and hypertension, are known risk factors for maternal morbidity and mortality. Another contributing factor is insufficient quality maternal health care provided in the health care facilities.
To respond to this challenge of maternal mortality the steering committee was approved by the Council of Ministers and installed by the Minister of Health on 11 February 2020. The committee chaired by the, Deputy Director of Health consists of 11 technical officers working at various health organizations and in health institutions. Based on the national maternal health and mortality reduction priority plan and advocacy paper, the committee is currently working on priority strategies to standardize the provision of maternal health services and to develop a structure of multisectoral coordination to reduce maternal mortality in Suriname.
To achieve multisectoral involvement and increased accountability for maternal deaths, multisectoral focal points will be involved in the steering committee, with as first step the launch of the advocacy paper with multisectoral stakeholders.
Working groups, reporting to the steering committee, on quality of care, health promotion, maternal death surveillance and response and perinatal health information system, will develop annual work plans guided by the action plan and the priority setting by the steering committee. The quality of care group unites stakeholders of all levels of care and is reinforcing several quality improvement interventions.
