Government’s efforts to combat maternal and infant mortality

Statistics from health experts state that, out of every 1,000, live births in Cameroon, 62 children die at the age of one, while 782 women after or during delivery, out of every 100,000 births.

In an interview carried out with the Coordinator of the National Multi-sector Programme for Combating Maternal, New-born and Child Mortality at the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Martina L. Baye, the following measures to guarantee maternal and child care has been put in place by the Cameroon government through the Ministry of Public Health:

- To reorient personnel in charge of obstetric and new born care and to train more midwives.

- To recruit the first batch of midwives trained in the 10 midwifery training institutions.

- To ensure that, every delivery be assisted by qualified persons and in an appropriate milieu so as to lessen complications.

- To renovate and equip the maternity and neonatal wards.

- To pre-position Delivery and caesarean section kits in health facilities in order to reduce the delay of women in accessing care.

- To revamp the Family planning services respond to the unmet needs in this area and also stimulate demand for birth spacing.

- To convey correct information to women, families and the general public about pregnancy and delivery.

- To involve other Ministries and civil societies apart from the Ministry of Public Health, in mobilising and educating the population.

- To emphasise on regular vaccination of babies and clinic attendance where the babies are monitored.

- To ensure that all children, especially those under the age of five, use insecticide-treated bed nets to avoid malaria, which remains the number one baby killer in Cameroon.

If the above precautions are strictly considered by the general population especially pregnant and nursing mothers, the rate of mother and infant mortality will certainly reduce.