TITLE:
Determinants of Maternal Mortality at the Community University Hospital of Bangui: Central African Republic
AUTHORS:
Gertrude Rose De Lima Kogboma Wongo, Thibaut Boris Clavaire Songo-Kette Gbekere, Rodrigue Herman Doyama-Woza, Siméon Matoulou-M’bala Wa-Ngogbe, Alida Koirokpi, Sabrina Ouapou, Georges Trésor Gamache, Norbert Richard Ngbale, Abdoulaye Sepou
KEYWORDS:
Maternal Mortality, Determinants, Community Hospital
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.13 No.9,
September
8,
2023
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Pregnancy is a physiological condition that can sometimes end in death.
The death of a woman is a constant concern for the obstetrician and is
considered a major public health problem in our developing countries. Objective: To identify the determinants that contribute to maternal morbidity and
mortality in the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Department of the University
Community Hospital. Methodology: We conducted a retrospective study from
1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019 (5 years) in the obstetrics and gynaecology
department of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Communautaire (CHUC). It
focused on the determinants of maternal mortality. Our study population
consisted of all women who died during the period and met the World Health
Organization (WHO) definition of maternal mortality (MOMA). We used non-probability sampling with the exhaustive choice technique. Results: The study revealed that the number of deaths recorded was 98,
while 17,172 live births were registered during the same period. The maternal
mortality ratio was 570 per 100,000 live births. The most common age group was
20 to 24, with an average age of 26. The frequency of death among primiparous
women was 37.74%, pauciparous women 28.30% and multiparous women 26.42%. Direct
causes were dominated by abortion complications (22.41%), followed by
infections (9.30%) and haemorrhage (8.19%). Indirect causes were dominated by
anaemia with a proportion of 45.16%. The majority of maternal deaths occurred
in the post-partum period (34.71%). Most maternal deaths occurred after vaginal
delivery, 19 cases (63.33%), while 11 deaths (36.66%) occurred after caesarean
section. The occurrence of direct causes was associated with age less than or
equal to 25 years, abortion complications and primiparity, with a statistically
significant difference. Conclusion: At the end of this study,
complications of unsafe abortion and poverty are all factors contributing to
the rise in the maternal mortality rate. Emphasis should be placed on promoting
family planning, as this would make a major contribution to reducing maternal
mortality.