Medicina comunitaria y educación para la salud

Abstracto

Trends in Maternal Mortality at the Mukalla City, Yemen, 2000?2010

Ahlam Saleh Bin-Berik and Amen Ahmed Bawazir

Background: Maternal deaths are still leading problems in many developing countries, including Yemen. However, it is far away to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) declared to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. Variations could be found between country to other or in different regions in the same country. The aim of this study is to highlight the main cause of avoidable death that leads to maternal mortality among those admitted to Al Mukalla hospital, Hadhramout, Yemen.
Methodology: This survey was carried out in Al-Mukalla City, the capital of Hadhramout Province. The data collected were from the obstetrics and gynecology medical records at this department in Al-Mukalla Teaching Hospital. Variables included in this study are those related to dates of admission and of death, patients’ age, number of parity, mode of delivery of the last baby. In addition, some clinical data were included related to causes leading to death and underlying condition of death.
Results: Of the total 39651 live birth recorded in the hospital during the study period (2001 to 2010), 42 maternal deaths were recorded which gives an overall Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of 106 per 100,000 live births. Bleeding was among the top causes of maternal deaths in this study (28.6%) followed by hypertensive disorder, pulmonary embolism, and anemia (21.4%, 9.4%, 9.4%, respectively).
Conclusion: There was a downward trend in the maternal death ratio, but it is still far from rates in developed countries whereas the majority of these deaths were preventable. Efforts must be made on the part of health care providers, hospital managers, individuals, and government to maintain the current downward trend in our maternal mortality ratio to meet the globally accepted level.