TITLE:
Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC) in Rural Senegal
AUTHORS:
Ousmane Thiam, Lamine Gueye, Moussa Diallo, Cherif Cheikh Tourade Sarr, Djibryl Bahaid Sow
KEYWORDS:
Emergency Obstetric Care, Maternal and Fetal Mortality
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.15 No.10,
October
17,
2025
ABSTRACT: Objectives: The aim of our study was to evaluate the emergency obstetric care in a maternity peripheral and analyze trends evolving in order to offer solutions to improve the quality of care. Material and Methods: Our study was part of the Centre Regional Hospital of Saint-Louis, located at 270 km from Dakar in the region of Saint Louis in northern Senegal. This was a retrospective longitudinal descriptive study from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2024, a period of 15 years. It took into account all patients who underwent surgical or obstetrical procedure performed as an emergency. Results: We recorded 67,996 deliveries with a monthly average of 4533. Stillbirth decreased by 43%. The number of cesarean deliveries was 15,633 with a rate of 23%, dominated by caesarean compulsory in 60% of care in 33% and 7% in need. Evacuations represented 23% of obstetric admissions. We identified 302 cases of maternal deaths or 20 cases per year. The maternal mortality rate was 503 for 100,000 Live Births. 78% of cases were direct causes and 22% were indirect. Conclusion: The results of this study confirm a fact: the regional hospital Saint-Louis of its geographical position is a reference center in the north of Senegal device. EmONC’s availability has improved indicators in maternal and newborn health in the area. So, it is important to emphasize the need for decentralization of obstetric-surgical periphery.