Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, called for urgent, coordinated national action to end preventable maternal and perinatal deaths.
Addressing the inaugural Conference on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) under the theme “Ending Preventable Maternal and Perinatal Mortality – Lessons Learned and Future Directions”, today, at Hyatt Regency Hotel, Dr Mombeshora said the country must move decisively to protect mothers and newborns.
“A nation’s progress is measured not only by the growth of its GDP, but by the health and well-being of its people, especially mothers and newborns.
Maternal and neonatal mortality are among the most sensitive indicators of how well our health system functions and how equitably services reach every community,” he said.
He revealed that maternal mortality declined from 652 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015 to 212 per 100,000 in 2024.
“Notable progress and a testament to the dedication of our Government, health workers, communities, and partners,” said Dr Mombeshora.
However, he warned that neonatal mortality has increased from 31 to 37 deaths per 1,000 live births over the same period.
“This is a clear signal perhaps the clearest we have that quality of care around childbirth and the immediate postnatal period must improve.
Our newborns are the most vulnerable, and their outcomes reflect the readiness and reliability of our health services,” Dr Mombeshora added
He said ending preventable maternal and perinatal mortality is central to achieving Vision 2030 and aligns with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) targets of reducing maternal mortality to fewer than 70 per 100,000 live births and neonatal mortality to fewer than 12 per 1,000 live births by 2030.
“The time to act is now. This is a clarion call for a whole-of-Government and whole-of-society response,” he said.
He outlined priorities including scaling up essential newborn care and kangaroo mother care, strengthening perinatal death surveillance, ensuring reliable supplies of life-saving commodities such as oxytocin and magnesium sulphate, improving ambulance services, expanding adolescent-friendly family planning services, and using data for accountability.
“Our mothers should not die while giving life. Our newborns deserve not only to be born, but to thrive,” he said.
Declaring the conference open, Dr Mombeshora urged stakeholders to act with urgency and unity, saying, “Together, we can and we will end preventable maternal and perinatal mortality in Zimbabwe.”
