By Kuda Pembere
Zimbabwe is among the top five countries in the SADC region with the highest maternal mortality rates (MMR), HealthTimes has learned.
According to data from a joint report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank Group, and the United Nations Population Division, Zimbabwe ranked fourth.
The report, titled Trends in Maternal Mortality Estimates 2000 to 2023, revealed that Zimbabwe’s maternal mortality rate dropped from 368 per 100,000 live births in 2022 to 358 per 100,000 live births in 2023.
In 2023, Lesotho recorded the highest MMR in SADC, with 478 deaths per 100,000 live births. Madagascar followed with 445 per 100,000 live births, while the Democratic Republic of Congo ranked third with 427 per 100,000 live births. Tanzania, which ranked fifth, had a MMR of 276 per 100,000 live births.
SDG 3 includes a direct global target to reduce maternal mortality to less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. Despite the challenges of recent years, there have been successes in tackling maternal mortality. For example, in 2023, for the first time since the MMEIG started reporting, no countries had an MMR higher than 1,000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births,” the report stated.
“Recent years have brought into sharp focus a range of external factors that affect the strength of health systems. Crises—including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, economic and political upheaval, and armed conflicts—have put some populations at greater risk of adverse maternal health outcomes,” it added.
The report further noted that these crises not only directly impact public health but also threaten the functioning of national health systems. When combined with social determinants such as gender norms and racial biases, they impede the delivery of healthcare services to those most in need.
In the report, most of the deaths were attributed to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and chronic conditions, such as pre-existing hypertensive disorders and diabetes mellitus, and maternal infectious and parasitic diseases, many of which can pre-date pregnancy. Other causes of death and illness included gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, and haemorrhage
Despite Zimbabwe’s decline in maternal mortality, Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora has stated that the three-digit figure remains unacceptable. Speaking to journalists last month, he expressed disappointment over the 368 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births recorded during the 2022 National Census.
