Maternal and infant mortality cases poised to rise in Sub-Saharan Africa

Despite the progress made over the past decade, maternal and infant mortality cases in Sub-Saharan Africa are projected to increase, a new report by the World Health Organization found.

Dubbed, the Atlas of African Health Statistics 2022, the report projects that 390 women will die in childbirth for every 100, 000 live births in the region by 2030, which is five times above the 2030 sustainable development goal target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100, 000 live births.

Infant mortality is expected to be more than double the 2030 milestone of less than 25 per 1000 live births.

At the current 3.1 percent annual rate of decline, WHO projects that 54 deaths per 1,000 live births will be recorded by 2030. This is a decline from the current 72 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Speaking at a virtual news conference on Thursday where the report was launched, Dr Humphrey Karamagi, the senior technical officer at WHO regional office for Africa, said to be able to reach the 2030 maternal mortality target, Africa will have to lower the death rate by over 86 percent, which seems unrealistic at the current pace.

"Inadequate investments in health and funding for health programmes are some of the major drawbacks to meeting our health targets," he said.

"If nothing is done to accelerate investments in the health sector, the region will not be able to reach its aspirations."

In the African region, skilled health personnel attended 65 percent of births – the lowest globally and far off the 2030 target of 90 percent, according to the Atlas 2022.

To accelerate the achievement of maternal targets, Karamagi said special attention should be paid to provision of antenatal services.

He said an average of less than one in two pregnant mothers in Africa give birth in presence of a skilled personnel with only 12 percent of mothers and their newborns that need emergency care receive it.

Karamagi said neonatal deaths have only reduced by four percent between 2010 and 2020, expressing need to accelerate the decline in order to realize the 2030 agenda.

The new report found that Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest under-five mortality rate in the world, with one in 13 children dying before their fifth birthday.

The region experienced a sharp decline in under-five mortality between 1990 and 2010, when the levels went from 176 to 99 deaths per 1000 live births, but the pace slowed down from then to 2020.

The Atlas 2022, warned that the region will not be able to reach the SDG target by 2030 if nothing is done to accelerate the decline of neonatal mortality. It said efforts should be made more in West and Central Africa.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, said even though Africa has scored some of the fastest reduction rates globally in key health objectives, the momentum is waning.

"This means that for many African women, childbirth remains a persistent risk and millions of children do not live long enough to celebrate their fifth birthday," she said in a statement.

Moeti said governments should make a radical course-correction, surmount the challenges and speed up the pace towards the health goals.

"These goals aren't mere milestones, but the very foundations of a healthier life and well-being for millions of people," she said.

According to WHO, the drawbacks on health progress in Africa has been exacerbated by the disruptive effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UN agency said the pandemic disrupted important health services like postnatal care for women and newborns, antenatal care services, neonatal intensive care units and immunization services.

On family planning, even though the continent has recorded progress, with 56 percent of women aged 15-49 having their family planning needs satisfied with modern contraceptive methods in 2020, the region is still far below the global average of 77 percent and the worst performing.