Buba, Quinara region, Guinea Bissau, the progress continues as no maternal deaths have been registered over the period June 2021 to June 2022 in a region that was selected for its high rate of maternal mortality. The national average rate of maternal mortality is estimated at 746 per 100,000 live births (INASA 2018) and in Quinara region the toll stands at 3,015 per 100,000 live births (INASA 2018), which is four times higher than the national average.
The Buba Health Centre is a referral centre for the Quinara region. Access to and from some villages is difficult, especially in the rainy season. In these rural communities, health centres have nurses and midwives but no obstetrician/gynecologists to immediately assess high-risk for pregnancy and obstetric cases, thus this lack of skilled health professionals contributes to high maternal and newborn mortality rates. Faced with this difficult situation, working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health through Quinara regional health directorate and other partners, UNFPA recruited and assigned a team of 3 persons, made of Dr. Sonia Bako, United Nations International Volunteer Medical Gynecologist/Obstetrician, Cadidjatu Culibali an anesthetist and Flaminia Camala an instrumentist (both national consultants), to the Buba Health Centre since June 15th 2021.
“We intervene to bring our expertise for assisted deliveries, as well as in case of referral or pathological pregnancies or dystocic deliveries. In addition to providing life-saving care to women and their newborns, we also provide training to junior doctors, nurses and midwives, acting as a mentor and guide” says Dr. Sonia Bako.
Prior to the arrival of the UNFPA team, Buba Health Centre was facing significant gaps in providing quality maternal health services due to the non-functioning of the operating room due to lack of unavailability of equipment and limited skilled personnel. Working hands-in-hands with the authorities of the regional health directorate, local health professional and community health workers, the presence of the technical team, supported by regular UNFPA resources and thematic maternal health funds (MHTF), have reduced enormous problems.
"Statistics have been miraculous lately!" exclaims Dr. Sonia, as there were zero maternal deaths registered over the course of one (1) year, from June 2021 to June 2022. This news has been celebrated by all the health authorities and development partners, UNFPA, donors and the staff at Buba Health Centre, which receives approximately 50 pregnant women per month in antenatal care, coming from the whole Quinara region, which account for 35,4% of women of childbearing age, 15-49 years old (National Institute of Statistics/2022). In total, the team assisted 563 deliveries during this period, including 476 natural Births and 87 caesarean sections with simple post-operative follow-up.
Built in 2015 with the support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Buba Health Centre has the only functional operating bloc in the whole Quinara region, which was refurbished, equipped and supplied with Sexual and Reproductive Health related medicine, including contraceptives, by UNFPA in 2020. It became operational in 2021 when skilled health professionals were deployed as part of the H4 + Project initiative, implemented jointly by UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO and other partners to strengthen emergency obstetric and neonatal care.
