{"id":195809,"date":"2025-04-10T17:55:44","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T15:55:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/central-africa\/congo\/congo-innovative-tools-to-reduce-maternal-mortality\/"},"modified":"2025-04-10T17:55:45","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T15:55:45","slug":"congo-innovative-tools-to-reduce-maternal-mortality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/central-africa\/congo\/congo-innovative-tools-to-reduce-maternal-mortality\/","title":{"rendered":"Congo: Innovative tools to reduce maternal mortality"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Congo is intensifying efforts to reduce maternal mortality by introducing innovative tools, including the labour monitoring guide. Also known as the partogram, this is used to monitor the well-being of both mother and baby during active labour.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In use in the Republic of the Congo since 1993, the partogram supports decision-making in the event of complications, and helps reduce avoidable risks and deaths. In 2022, a simplified version was rolled out to 12 health districts, making it more accessible and easier for maternity staff to use.<\/p>\n

In Brazzaville, the M\u00e8re-Enfant Blanche Gomes Hospital has been using the updated tool since 2023. \u201cPreviously, the partogram was a complicated chart to complete, which led to low uptake and errors in labour monitoring,\u201d explains Dr Fr\u00e9dine Mahoungou, an obstetrician-gynaecologist at Blanche Gomes. \u201cThis sometimes resulted in rushed deliveries and overuse of oxytocin, which increases the uterine contractions. The risk of tearing and haemorrhage was high, creating a stressful situation for both staff and the woman in labour.\u201d<\/p>\n

To support effective uptake of the new tool, World Health Organisation (WHO), with the support of the Swedish government, helped train 235 health professionals, including midwives and gynaecologists. The revised partogram allows for visual tracking of key indicators such as cervical dilation, contraction frequency, and vital signs of both mother and baby.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis training has brought more calm and clarity to labour monitoring,\u201d says Minerve Nsouka, a midwife at the hospital. \u201cWith the old partogram, we were very stressed because we didn’t know how to use it efficiently. The new version is much easier and helps us better follow the progress of labour.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2023, the so-called \u201cfill rate\u201d for the new partogram was 99%, up from 74% in 2022. The Caesarean section rate also dropped from 32% to 21%, while the rate of stillbirths decreased from 2% to 1%.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, if we detect an abnormality, we immediately call the doctor,\u201d adds midwife Nsouka. \u201cI can better support women during labour, guiding their breathing, encouraging hydration, and offering reassurance and care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Better care before, during and after childbirth is critical to reducing maternal mortality. According to WHO estimates, the maternal mortality ratio in Congo dropped to 241 maternal deaths per 100\u00a0000 live births in 2023 \u2013 down from 710 in 2005. While this marks significant progress, it remains above the global average of 211 deaths per 100\u00a0000 live births, and far from the target of 70 by 2030.<\/p>\n

To bolster national efforts, WHO supported a strategy in 2022 focused on promoting family planning and emergency obstetric care. The strategy also highlights the use of improved antenatal and delivery monitoring tools to enhance the safety and quality of maternal care.<\/p>\n

By identifying risks early, and responding quickly to complications, trained health workers are helping improve both clinical outcomes and the overall childbirth experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I had my first child in 2016, it was very different. This time, the midwives were holding me, we even danced \u2013 I could really feel the difference,\u201d explains Ghislaine, a mother of three who recently gave birth to a baby boy. \u201cI felt safe and fully supported throughout the delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the WHO African Region, the new partogram, combined with other health initiatives, is helping reduce maternal mortality. Between 2000 and 2023, the region recorded a nearly 40% decline, from 727 to 442 deaths per 100\u00a0000 live births.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Congo, maternal mortality dropped by over 50% between 2005 and 2023. \u201cWHO continues to support maternal and neonatal health initiatives to ensure that every pregnancy and birth occurs in conditions of safety and well-being,\u201d says Dr Vincent Dossou Sodjinou, Acting WHO Representative in Congo. \u201cAll women must be able to give birth with the support of qualified staff who know how to use these tools.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Congolese health authorities are ramping up efforts to improve maternal health. \u201cThanks to the new partogram, we are now better equipped to provide optimal conditions, so that childbirth can be a satisfactory experience for mothers and the wider community,\u201d concludes Dr Mahoungou. \u201cIt is essential that women leave the maternity unit safe, well and feeling cared for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Republic of the Congo.<\/i><\/p>\n

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South Africa Today Africa \u2013 Central Africa Congo<\/a> News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Download logo Congo is intensifying efforts to reduce maternal mortality by introducing innovative tools, including the labour monitoring guide. Also known as the partogram, this is used to monitor the well-being of both mother and baby during active labour.\u00a0 In use in the Republic of the Congo since 1993, the partogram supports decision-making in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":195810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-newsroom.com\/files\/large\/dfc1b05df963e29","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8377],"tags":[258,256,4696,4554,8378,8379,8381,6355,10165,12678,257,8391,254,8403,8380],"class_list":["post-195809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-congo","tag-africa","tag-africa-news","tag-central-africa","tag-congo","tag-congo-news","tag-congo-republic","tag-congo-brazzaville","tag-innovative","tag-maternal","tag-mortality","tag-news","tag-reduce","tag-south-africa-today","tag-tools","tag-west-congo"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-newsroom.com\/files\/large\/dfc1b05df963e29","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195809"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195811,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195809\/revisions\/195811"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}