Engaging men for better maternal and child health in sub-Saharan Africa
May
06
Mar
15
As part of the establishment of Knowledge Management and Transfer Unit (UGTC) within the Ministry of Health in Ouagadougou, three training modules lasting one week were organised by Christian Dagenais, PhD, thanks to the financial support of WAHO. This training project entitled "Capacity Building in Knowledge Transfer and Use of Research for Decisi...
Mar
15
WAHO commissioned a final evaluation report of the MEP project that it led and coordinated between 2014 and 2020. Download PDF File Here
Mar
15
Application de l'outil EQUIST (Equitable Impact Sensitive Tool) à l'élaboration de politiques fondées sur des données probantes pour améliorer la santé maternelle et infantile au Bénin. Download PDF File Here
Mar
15
Application de l'outil EQUIST (Equitable Impact Sensitive Tool) à l'élaboration de politiques fondées sur des données probantes pour améliorer la santé maternelle et infantile au Sénégal. Download PDF File Here
Mar
15
Application de l'outil EQUIST (Equitable Impact Sensitive Tool) à l'élaboration de politiques fondées sur des données probantes pour améliorer la santé maternelle et infantile au Nigeria. Download PDF File Here
Mar
15
Application de l'outil EQUIST (Equitable Impact Sensitive Tool) à l'élaboration de politiques fondées sur des données probantes pour améliorer la santé maternelle et infantile au Mali. Download PDF File Here
Mar
15
Application de l'outil EQUIST (Equitable Impact Sensitive Tool) à l'élaboration de politiques fondées sur des données probantes pour améliorer la santé maternelle et infantile au Ghana. Download PDF File Here
Mar
15
Orientation de formulation de politiques fondées sur les données probantes pour l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Download PDF File Here
Mar
15
Application de l'outil équitable sensible à l'impact (EQUIST) à l'élaboration de politiques fondées sur des données probantes pour améliorer les résultats en matière de santé maternelle et infantile au Burkina Faso. Download PDF File Here
Mar
15
Introduction Au cours des dernières décennies, des progrès remarquables ont été réalisés dans la réduction de la mortalité infantile. L'Afrique subsaharienne accuse toutefois un retard. En 2019, un enfant sur 13 en Afrique subsaharienne est mort avant son 5e anniversaire. Le taux de mortalité maternelle est aussi le plus élevé au monde, soit 533 ...
Feb
01
Abstract Background Evidence has shown that male involvement is associated with improved maternal health outcomes. In rural Tanzania, men are the main decision makers and may determine women's access to health services and ultimately their health outcomes. Despite eforts geared towards enhancing male participation in maternal health care, th...
Mar
15
Introduction In the past decades, remarkable progress has been made in reducing child mortality. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is lagging, however. In 2019, one child out of 13 in SSA died before his or her fifth birthday. Girls and women here also suffer from the world's highest maternal mortality ratio – 533 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. ...
Aug
17
Vol 25, No 3s (2021) Click here to access the publication
Aug
16
Webber, G., Chirangi, B., & Magatti, N. (2021) Improving Access to Family Planning Services in Rorya District, Tanzania: Qualitative Findings from a Pilot Study. Tanzania Medical Journal 32 (3): 67-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314tmj.v32i3.428
Jun
18
Health social enterprises are experimenting with community health worker (CHW) models that allow for various income-generating opportunities to motivate and incentivize CHWs. Although evidence shows that improving gender equality contributes to the achievement of health outcomes, gender-based constraints faced by CHWs working wi...
Jun
18
This paper investigates the effect of a non-financial incentive—a competitive annual award—on community health workers' (CHWs) performance, an issue in the public health literature that has not been explored to its potential. Combining data on a competitive social 'Best CHW' award with the monthly performance of 4050 CHWs a...
Jun
18
There has been a resurgence of interest in using community health workers (CHWs) to enhance frontline primary health care given their potential to fill gaps and reach remote communities. In light of this, health social enterprises are experimenting with CHW models that allow for various income-generating opportunities...
Jun
18
Health social enterprises in Africa working with community health workers (CHWs) are growing rapidly but understudied. In particular, gender equality issues related to their work has important public health and equity implications. Download PDF File Here
Jun
01
There is renewed commitment to the use and role of community health workers (CHWs) to enhance front line primary health care given their potential to fill gaps and reach remote communities. In light of this, health social enterprises are experimenting with CHW models that allow for various income-generating opportunities to motivate and incen...
May
26
Maternal and neonatal mortality rates in Mozambique are high: 451.6 maternal deaths per 100.000 live births (2017).1 In primary healthcare centres, death occurs more frequently within the first 2 hours of the pregnant woman reaching the hospital, highlighting the precarious conditions and women's late arrival to the health centre (HC).
May
05
While Malawi has achieved success in reducing overall under-five mortality, reduction of neonatal mortality remains a persistent challenge. There has, therefore, been a push to strengthen the capacity for quality newborn care at district hospitals through the implementation of innovative neonatal technologies such as bubble continuous positive airw...
May
05
In order to improve maternal health and women's access to maternity care services in Rorya District, Mara, Northern Tanzania, we introduced several interventions across the district from 2018 to 2019. The interventions were workshops with nurses to encourage respectful care of women and transportation subsidies for women to reach the health facilit...
May
05
Male involvement has been reported to improve maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. However, most studies in low-income and middle-income countries have reported low participation of men in MCH-related programmes. While there is a growing interest in the involvement of men in MCH, little is known on how male involvement can be effectively promo...
May
05
Quality improvement (QI) is a problem-solving approach in which stakeholders identify context-specific problems and create and implement strategies to address these. It is an approach that is increasingly used to support health system strengthening, which is widely promoted in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, few QI initiatives are sustained and implem...
May
05
Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an effective intervention for preterm and low birth weight infants. Effective implementation of KMC relies on a multidisciplinary team centering on the newborn's caregiver, who delivers care with support from health care workers. This study explored the experiences of caregivers on the implementation of KMC. Read more....
May
05
Maternal and newborn child health are priority concerns in Bauchi State, northern Nigeria. Increased male involvement in reproductive health is recommended by the World Health Organization. A trial of a program of universal home visits to pregnant women and their spouses, with an intention to increase male involvement in pregnancy and childbirth, s...
May
05
Kangaroo mother care (KMC) involves continuous skin-to-skin contact of baby on mother's chest to provide warmth, frequent breastfeeding, recognizing danger signs of illness, and early discharge. Though KMC is safe, effective and recommended by the World Health Organization, implementation remains limited in practice. The objective of this study is ...
May
05
Engaging men Engagement of men in defining relevant solutions is key to changing harmful social norms and to reaching successful maternal and child health outcomes.
May
05
IMCHA research team "Quality improvement for maternal and newborn health at district-level scale in Mtwara Region Tanzania" studied how to improve the quality improvement methodology whereby stakeholders identify problems in their own contexts and create strategies to improve them.
May
05
Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an effective intervention for preterm and low birth weight infants. Effective implementation of KMC relies on a multidisciplinary team centering on the newborn's caregiver, who delivers care with support from health care workers. This study explored the experiences of caregivers on the implementation of KMC. Read more....
May
05
Male involvement has been reported to improve maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. However, most studies in low-income and middle-income countries have reported low participation of men in MCH-related programmes. While there is a growing interest in the involvement of men in MCH, little is known on how male involvement can be effectively promo...
May
05
In order to improve maternal health and women's access to maternity care services in Rorya District, Mara, Northern Tanzania, we introduced several interventions across the district from 2018 to 2019. The interventions were workshops with nurses to encourage respectful care of women and transportation subsidies for women to reach the health facilit...
May
05
Performance-based financing (PBF) has been promoted and increasingly implemented across low- and middle-income countries to increase the utilization and quality of primary health care. However, the evidence of the impact of PBF is mixed and varies substantially across settings. Read more...
May
05
Performance-based financing (PBF) has been promoted and increasingly implemented across low- and middle-income countries to increase the utilization and quality of primary health care. However, the evidence of the impact of PBF is mixed and varies substantially across settings. Read more...
May
05
To improve the performance of the healthcare system, Mali's government implemented a pilot project of performance-based financing (PBF) in the field of reproductive health. It was established in the Koulikoro region. This research analyses the process of implementing PBF at district hospital (DH) level, something which has rarely been done in Afric...
May
05
For the past 15 years, several donors have promoted performance-based financing (PBF) in Africa for improving health services provision. European and African experts known as 'diffusion entrepreneurs' (DEs) assist with PBF pilot testing. In Mali, after participating in a first pilot PBF in 2012–13, the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene included...
May
05
Numerous sub-Saharan African countries have experimented with performance-based financing (PBF) with the goal of improving health system performance. To date, few articles have examined the implementation of this type of complex intervention in Francophone West Africa. This qualitative research aims to understand the process of implementing a PBF p...
May
05
Quality improvement (QI) is a problem-solving approach in which stakeholders identify context-specific problems and create and implement strategies to address these. It is an approach that is increasingly used to support health system strengthening, which is widely promoted in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, few QI initiatives are sustained and implem...
May
05
While Malawi has achieved success in reducing overall under-five mortality, reduction of neonatal mortality remains a persistent challenge. There has, therefore, been a push to strengthen the capacity for quality newborn care at district hospitals through the implementation of innovative neonatal technologies such as bubble continuous positive airw...
May
05
Most of the literature on terrorist attacks' health impacts has focused on direct victims rather than on distal consequences in the overall population. There is limited knowledge on how terrorist attacks can be detrimental to access to healthcare services. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of terrorist attacks on the utilisation o...
May
05
Over the past decade, an increasing number of low- and middle-income countries have reduced or removed user fees for pregnant women and/or children under five as a strategy to achieve universal health coverage. Despite the large number of studies (including meta-analyses and systematic reviews) that have shown this strategy's positive effects impac...
May
05
Increase knowledge, attitudes and practice of sexual and reproductive health and family planning and to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates in Mozambique. Read more...
May
05
The Economic Commission of the West African States (ECOWAS), through her specialised health Institution, the West African Health Organization (WAHO) is supporting Members States to improve health outcomes in West Africa. There is a global recognition that evidence-based health policies are vital towards achieving continued improvement in health out...
May
05
Good care during pregnancy is important for the health of mothers and the development of unborn babies. Antenatal care contributes to a woman's overall good health as well as linking her and her family to the health system, and increasing her chances of using a skilled attendant at birth. Read more...
May
05
In Northern Nigeria, short birth interval is common. The word kunika in the Hausa language describes a woman becoming pregnant before weaning her last child. A sizeable literature confirms an association between short birth interval and adverse perinatal and maternal health outcomes. Yet there are few reported studies about how people view short bi...
May
05
Health social enterprises in Africa working with community health workers (CHWs) are growing rapidly but understudied. In particular, gender equality issues related to their work has important public health and equity implications. Read more...
May
05
There is ample evidence of associations between short birth interval and adverse maternal and child health outcomes, including infant and maternal mortality. Short birth interval is more common among women in low- and middle-income countries. Identifying actionable aspects of short birth interval is necessary to address the problem. Read more... &n...
May
05
Malawi is celebrated as one of the few countries in sub-Saharan Africa to meet the Millennium Development Goal of reducing under-5 mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. However, within this age range neonatal mortality rates are the slowest to decline, even though rates of facility births are increasing. Examining the quality of neonatal c...
May
05
Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) relies on community health workers to distribute drugs. This study assessed: (1) the capacity of community-based distributors (CBDs) at the start and end of a campaign and from one campaign to another after training or refresher courses before each round; (2) to what extent CBDs' experience over several campai...
May
05
While Primary Health Care has been designed to provide universal access to skilled pregnancy care for the prevention of maternal deaths in Nigeria, available evidence suggests that pregnant women in rural communities often do not use Primary Health Care Centres for skilled care. The objective of this study was to investigate the reasons why women d...
May
05
Underutilization of formal maternal care services and accredited health attendants is a major contributor to the high maternal mortality rates in rural communities in Nigeria. Perceptions of a poor quality of care and inaccessible services in health facilities strongly influence the low use of formal maternal care services. There is therefore a nee...
May
05
Greater paternal engagement is positively associated with improved access to and utilization of maternal services. Despite evidence that male involvement increased uptake of maternal and child services, studies show that few men are participating in MNCH programs. Community leaders have long been engaged in public health promotion in rural settings...
May
05
Severe respiratory distress is a leading cause of mortality among neonates in Malawi. Despite evidence on the safety, cost effectiveness and efficacy of bubble continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in managing the condition, its use in Malawian health facilities is limited and little is known about caregivers' engagement with perspectives of b...
May
05
Bubble continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been shown to be effective in supporting breathing in newborns with respiratory distress. The factors that influence implementation in resource-constrained settings remain unclear. The objective of this review is to evaluate the barriers and facilitators of CPAP implementation for newborn care a...
May
05
Pregnant women, neonates, children, and adolescents are at higher risk of dying in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Strengthening the healthcare system is a key strategy for the implementation of effective policies and ultimately the improvement of health outcomes. South Sudan is a fragile country that faces challenges in implementing its re...
May
05
South Sudan has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world, at 789 deaths per 100,000 live births. The majority of these deaths are due to complications during labor and delivery. Institutional delivery under the care of skilled attendants is a proven, effective intervention to avert some deaths. The aim was to determine the prevalen...
May
05
Even though integrating mental health into maternal and child health (MCH) is widely accepted as a means of closing the treatment gap for maternal mental health conditions in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), there are not many studies on the quality of the currently available mental health care for mothers in these countries. This study ass...
May
05
Comparative case studies in integrated care implementation from across the globe: a quest for action
Integrated care is the coordination of general and behavioral health and is a highly promising and practical approach to improving healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. While there is growing interest and investment in integrated care implementation internationally, there are no formal guidelines for integrated care implementation applicable to...
May
05
The article by Samuel Oppong et al. makes interesting reading (Oppong et al. BJOG 2019; 126:755–62). It describes a study carried out in three tertiary referral hospitals in southern Ghana that investigated the incidence of and factors associated with maternal near‐miss morbidity. Read more...
May
05
Conflict in South Sudan has displaced 2.3 million people, of whom 789,098 (35%) have taken refuge in Uganda – a country that allows refugees to work, own property, start their own businesses and access public health services. In this context, refugees have identified livelihoods and primary health care as key priorities for their wellbeing. Read mo...
May
05
Health equity is a cross-cutting theme in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and a priority in health sector planning in countries including Ethiopia. Subnational health managers in Ethiopia are uniquely positioned to advance health equity, given the coordination, planning, budgetary, and administration tasks that they are ...
May
05
Maternal mortality has been an issue of global importance, with continued efforts by the international development community towards its reduction. The provision of high quality maternal healthcare has been identified as a key strategy in preventing maternal mortality. Gendered intrahousehold power structures, gendered dynamics of resource allocati...
May
05
Available evidence indicate that while 303,000 women died in 2015 from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 66% of these deaths [ 1 ]. Within sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 29% of the maternal deaths occurred in Nigeria with an estimated 58,000 pregnant women dying annually in the country mainly from ...
May
05
In Ethiopia, maternal waiting areas (MWAs) – residential areas near health facilities where women can stay while waiting to give birth – are community-based, equity-oriented interventions to improve maternal outcomes among rural populations. In this qualitative study we sought to explore the barriers and enablers that Health Extension Workers (HEWs...
May
05
Health management information system (HMIS) data are important for guiding the attainment of health targets in low- and middle-income countries. However, the quality of HMIS data is often poor. High-quality information is especially important for populations experiencing high burdens of disease and mortality, such as pregnant women, newborns, and c...
May
05
Access to trusted health information has contribution to improve maternal and child health outcomes. However, limited research to date has explored the perceptions of communities regarding credible messenger and messaging in rural Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to explore sources of trusted maternal health information and preferences for the...
May
05
Why do pregnant women in Iringa region in Tanzania start antenatal care late? A qualitative analysis
When started early in pregnancy and continued up till childbirth, antenatal care (ANC) can be effective in reducing adverse pregnancy outcomes. While the proportion of women who attend ANC at least once in low income countries is high, most pregnant women attend their first ANC late. In Tanzania, while over 51% of pregnant women complete ≥4 visits,...
May
05
Access to health care is still limited for many women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), while it remains an important determinant of maternal mortality and morbidity. Information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as mhealth and telehealth, can help to facilitate this access by acting on the various obstacles encountered by women, be they socio...
May
05
Publication charges for this supplement were funded by the Symposium. The Supplement Editors declare that they have no competing interests. Read more...
May
05
Nigerian women are at high risk of death related to pregnancy and child birth. Accurate figures are hard to come by, but the World Health Organisation estimates there are more than 800 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in Nigeria. That's about 100 times higher than rates in Canada or the United Kingdom. Read more...
May
05
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) designed EQU itable I mpact S ensitive T ool (EQUIST) to enable global health community address the issue of equity in maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) and minimize health disparities between the most marginalized population and the better-off. Read more...
May
05
The peppy music starts, and all of a sudden we get a glimpse of life in a northern Nigerian village. Three women are sitting cross-legged in the shade against a wall, heads covered with colourful scarves. One strips leaves from a branch; the other two are preparing food in large shallow dishes. Behind them, two men in long tunics and matching loose...
May
05
The Safe Motherhood Research Project studies the implementation and scale-up of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) initiatives in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. This qualitative rapid assessment study was undertaken to explore community perceptions and experiences related to health, health inequality and other MNCH themes. Read more...
May
05
The paper carries out a situational analysis to examine the production, dissemination and utilisation of reproductive and child health-related evidence to inform policy formulation in Ghana's health sector. Read more...
May
05
Health social enterprises in Africa working with community health workers (CHWs) are growing rapidly but understudied. In particular, gender equality issues related to their work has important public health and equity implications. Read more...
May
05
It's a problem that plagues Mozambique. The southern African nation has one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates, at 489 deaths per 100,00 live births (compared to seven deaths per 100,000 live births in Canada), and in places such as Nampula province in the country's north, it's not uncommon for women to die simply because they can't ge...
May
05
Understanding urban-rural gap in childhood survival is essential for health care interventions and to explain disparities in the determinants of Under-5 mortality. There is dearth of information about the factors explaining differentials in urban-rural Under-5 mortality especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In this study, we sought to quantify th...
May
04
Throughout the world, there is increasing awareness and acknowledgement of the value of research evidence in the development of effective health policy and in quality health care practice and administration. Among the major challenges associated with the lack of uptake of research evidence into policy and practice in Nigeria is the capacity constra...
May
04
In most developing countries including Nigeria, one of the most challenging issues associated with evidence-to-policy link is the capacity constraints of policymakers to access, synthesize, adapt and utilize available research evidence. The purpose of this review is to assess the efforts and various initiatives that have been undertaken to delibera...
May
04
Despite improvements over time, West Africa lags behind global as well as sub-Saharan averages in its maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) outcomes. This is despite the availability of an increasing body of knowledge on interventions that improve such outcomes. Beyond our knowledge of what interventions work, insights are needed on others fact...
May
04
West Africa has adopted numerous strategies to counter maternal and infant mortality, provides national maternal and infant health programmes, and hosts many active technical and financial partners and non-governmental organisations. Despite this, maternal and infant morbidity and mortality indicators are still very high. In this commentary, intern...
May
04
In Nigeria, interest in the evidence-to-policy process is gaining momentum among policymakers involved in maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH). However, numerous gaps exist among policymakers on use of research evidence in policymaking. The objective of this study was to assess the perception of MNCH policymakers regarding their needs and the ...
May
04
Childhood mortality has remained a major challenge to public health amongst families in Nigeria and other developing countries. The menace of incessant childhood mortality has been a major concern and this calls for studies to generate new scientific evidence to determine its prevalence and explore predisposing factors associated with it in Nigeria...
May
04
The objective of the study was to investigate the results of Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) conducted in three referral hospitals in Lagos State, Nigeria over a two-year period and to report the outcomes and the lessons learned. MPDRS panels were constituted in the three hospitals, and beginning from January 2015, we...
May
04
There is increasing interest globally in the use of more rigorous processes to ensure that maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) care recommendations are informed by the best available research evidence use. The purpose of this study was to engage Nigerian MNCH policy-makers and other stakeholders to consider issues around research to policy a...
May
04
The introduction of implementation science into maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) research has facilitated better methods to improve uptake of research findings into practices. With increase in implementation research related to MNCH world-wide, stronger scientific evidence are now available and have improved MNCH policies in many countries...
May
04
Emergency Obstetric care (EmOC) is the form of clinical care that responds to un-expected complications of pregnancy such as haemorrhage and hypertensive crisis in pregnancy. Read more...
May
04
This project addresses a key concern of the Malawian Ministry of Health (MOH), namely, the persistence of a high maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 675/100 000 live births despite a facility birth rate of 73%.1 With the goal of reducing MMR to 155/ 100 000, the MOH wants to understand how interventions aimed at enhancing quality of care that have pr...
May
04
Introduction Maternal mortality in Nigeria is extremely high. Access to quality antenatal and obstetric care is limited. In Bauchi State, we found maternal morbidity was associated with domestic violence, heavy work in pregnancy, ignorance of danger signs, and lack of spousal communication. This cluster randomized controlled trial tested the...
May
04
The role of the interpreter in cross-language qualitative research warrants methodological consideration at the onset and throughout the research. This study used a narrative approach to portray how two researchers' epistemological positionings about the interpreter role were negotiated within the practical realities of conducting research. Data we...
May
04
While the effectiveness of Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) training in Tanzania has been reported, no published studies of Essential Care for Every Baby (ECEB) and Essential Care for Small Babies (ECSB) in this setting have been found. This study compared knowledge before and after HBB, ECEB and ECSB training in Tanzania. Read more...
May
04
Disrespectful and abusive care of women during their pregnancies has been shown to be a barrier for women accessing health care services for antenatal care and delivery. As part of an implementation research study to improve women's access to health care services in Rorya District, Mara, Tanzania, we conducted a pilot study training reproductive he...
May
04
The WPA Action Plan 2017‐2020 1 has been released by H. Herrman, new WPA President, during the recent World Congress of Psychiatry in Berlin. An agreement that could assist in achieving the objectives of that Action Plan in an African context has been produced during the WPA‐World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Mental Health Forum meeting that to...
May
04
While reports from individual hospitals have helped to provide insights into the causes of maternal mortality in low-income countries, they are often limited for policymaking at national and subnational levels. This multisite study was designed to determine maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) and identify the risk factors for maternal deaths in referr...
May
04
Knowledge translation (KT) is a process that ensures that research evidence gets translated into policy and practice. In Nigeria, reports indicate that research evidence rarely gets into policymaking process. A major factor responsible for this is lack of KT capacity enhancement mechanisms. The objective of this study was to improve KT competence o...
May
04
Nigeria presently has the second highest absolute number of maternal deaths and perinatal deaths (stillbirth and neonatal deaths) in the world. The country accounts for up to 14% of global maternal deaths and is second only to India in the number of women who die during childbirth. Although all parts of the country are worsened by these staggering ...
May
04
Maternal mortality in Nigeria is one of the highest in the world. Access to antenatal care is limited and the quality of services is poor in much of the country. Previous research in Bauchi State found associations between maternal morbidity and domestic violence, heavy work in pregnancy, lack of knowledge about danger signs, and lack of spousal co...
May
04
Throughout the world, there is increasing awareness and acknowledgement of the value of research evidence in the development of effective health policy and in quality health care practice and administration. Among the major challenges associated with the lack of uptake of research evidence into policy and practice in Nigeria is the capacity constra...
May
04
The sub-Saharan African (SSA) region has over two thirds of the global burden of maternal deaths and records high infant mortality rates. The region recorded an average of 534 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2017 (WorldBank 2017).