World Health Day 2025: Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures
As we celebrate World Health Day 2025 under the theme "Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures," we acknowledge the significant strides made in maternal and newborn health in Trinidad and Tobago. A key tool in this progress is the Perinatal Information System (SIP). Since 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has supported the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Trinidad and Tobago in implementing the SIP platform. This collaboration aims to improve data collection, facilitate evidence-based decision-making, and enhance maternal and newborn health outcomes.
The SIP, established by PAHO's Latin American Center for Perinatology - Women and Reproductive Health (CLAP/WR) in 1983, is a standardized clinical record system for women's health services, pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care.
The implementation of SIP by PAHO and the MOH has led to several positive outcomes. By standardizing data collection and reporting, the SIP has enabled the MOH to identify gaps in care, track progress, and implement targeted interventions. This has been particularly important in addressing preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
Healthcare professionals at the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) provided feedback on the SIP initiative, reporting that the system supports more efficient antenatal clinics and patient transfers. One healthcare worker noted, "The checkbox system helps trigger the necessary investigations in pregnancy and after birth, which is especially helpful as we train new staff." Another mentioned, "With the data collected through SIP, we can readily do audits to ensure we're meeting our target goals, such as screening for gestational diabetes."
This year's theme emphasizes the importance of maternal and newborn health as the foundation for healthy families and communities. The SIP's role in providing reliable data and supporting health professionals aligns perfectly with this theme. By ensuring that every woman and baby receives high-quality care, we can create hopeful futures for all.
SIP plus or SIP web, has incorporated new modules in recent years such as: a module for control and monitoring of premature children, one for adolescents, other for the mental health of pregnant women, a contraceptive module or for the care of women in abortion situation or the intimate partner violence and sexual violence health care form. Likewise, the classic and well-known perinatal module has incorporated a section to record the Near Miss Maternal (also known as extreme maternal morbidity). This concept refers to extremely serious cases, in which all conditions indicate that the woman is going to die but nevertheless survives.
PAHO remains focused on reducing preventable maternal deaths. In June 2023, the PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., launched the Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths Initiative, focusing on strengthening health systems, ensuring universal health access and coverage, and providing high-quality maternal care for all women.
Additionally, PAHO is implementing strategies, such as the Maternal Death Intentional Search and Reclassification (BIRMM), to reduce underreporting and misclassification of maternal death.
On this World Health Day, let us celebrate the progress made and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring healthy beginnings and hopeful futures for all.
