Mother and Child Health: Yearly Maternal Mortality Drop by 2000 in Cameroon

This decrease comes as result of the State’s health policy with the support of its partners, an encouraging step that has been appreciated by many.

Between 2018 and 2022, Cameroon reduced the neonatal mortality rate. It was 4,000 deaths out of 100,000 births before 2018, and today is 2,000 deaths for the same number of births. These figures were revealed on June 21 in Yaoundé during « La Matinale des partnenaires pour la santé de reproduction, » a moment of evaluation of strategic interventions in the field of reproductive health in the Far North, North, Adamaoua, East and Centre regions.

Indeed, a credit of more than 15 billion FCFA, of which 10 billion FCFA was allocated three years ago to these regions by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Proceeding to the evaluation of this approach, Noemi Dalmonté, UNFPA office manager in Cameroon expressed his satisfaction, indicating that results remain « to be achieved « and that « challenges are still there «. The biggest challenge in the country, she advised, « is going to the maternity ward, and giving birth there. »  Not without suggesting that to avoid complicated deliveries, « we need well-trained midwives, a technical platform, blood among other things…” .

For the specific case of the Far North where deliveries are mostly taken care of by « traditional birth attendants”, UNFPA indicates that it “had more success” by collaborating with them. They have thus become relays in health facilities.

 As a reminder, UNFPA’s interventions in the five regions mentioned above relate to building the capacity of human resources in maternal, neonatal and child care, including training in the management of cases of obstetric fistula, as well as obstetric care emergency.

Ingrid Kengne