Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance
To assess the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of community-based maternal and perinatal death surveillance (reporting and review of maternal and newborn deaths that occur within communities) and response in conflict-affected settings.
WHAT
Maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response offers an opportunity to not only count the number of deaths that occur, but to also understand and address the factors contributing to the deaths of women and newborns. In many crisis-affected contexts, accurate data on maternal and newborn outcomes is limited, especially when deaths occur outside of health facilities, making it difficult for policymakers and health program implementers to understand and respond to health needs. Using a community-based approach, maternal and perinatal death surveillance may be a cost-effective strategy to identify solutions to improve health care and prevent future deaths among the most vulnerable populations in hard-to-reach areas.
WHY
EQUAL will begin by conducting a baseline assessment of existing surveillance and health information systems that record pregnancies, births, and/or maternal and newborn deaths in health facilities and communities. Also, in-depth interviews with community members will be conducted to understand the cultural practices surrounding death and how they are impacted by insecurity and displacement. With this information, EQUAL will work with stakeholders (e.g., Ministries of Health and communities) to develop, strengthen, and evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based maternal and perinatal death surveillance system in an identified conflict-affected setting.
HOW
North and South Kivu, DRC