The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), with support from the European Union's Universal Health Coverage Partnership, continues to support the Ministry of Public Health, through the Family Health Directorate (DSF), in its efforts to reduce maternal mortality in Haiti. As part of this support, the DSF conducted several activities aimed at strengthening the capacity of health facilities to prevent and analyze maternal deaths in four departments in the south of the country.

Fifty-five healthcare providers received specialized training on Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR), along with the creation of seven committees in institutions providing emergency obstetric and neonatal care. This training improved understanding of the causes of death and the adoption of evidence-based practices to enhance the quality of maternal care.

In parallel, several maternal mortality reviews were conducted in the departments of the Grand Sud region, allowing for the identification of risk factors and the proposal of appropriate corrective measures.

The departmental SDMR committees were also revitalized to ensure better monitoring of the implementation of recommendations from the reviews and to optimize coordination between the different levels of the health system. This aims to improve the early detection of maternal risks and referral systems in order to reduce maternal deaths.

In Grand'Anse, the training activity was co-financed by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), illustrating crucial inter-agency collaboration in strengthening the health system's response to the persistent challenges of maternal mortality in Haiti.

These joint interventions aim to consolidate the SDMR strategy at the local level, improve the care of pregnant women, and ultimately contribute to the sustainable reduction of the maternal mortality ratio in Haiti by linking the actions of different actors and levels of the health system.

HL/ HaitiLibre