Health Minister says many expectant mothers not attending prenatal visits

 

Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton says 60 per cent of expectant mothers across the country have not been attending essential prenatal visits.

 

He made the disclosure in response to reports that multiple newborns have died at Victoria Jubilee Hospital since the start of June.

 

Of the babies who died this month at Victoria Jubilee Hospital, 55 per cent were born prematurely and 60 per cent had low birth weight. 

 

A baby is considered to have low birth weight if they weigh less than 2.5 kilogrammes at birth. 

 

The Ministry of Health says chronic diseases in mothers are a major contributor to both low and high birth rates, which often comes with serious complications.

 

A concerned Dr. Tufton said the lack of proper prenatal monitoring paired with uncontrolled lifestyle diseases presented in some pregnant women have directly been linked to preterm babies.

 

Still, the Health Minister said while several preterm babies have endured, these variables factor heavily in their chances of survival.

 

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie said it is to be determined whether the mothers were delinquent in attending crucial prenatal visits.

 

She added that significant resources are needed to sustain preterm babies whose organs are not completely developed and in most cases require support beyond the capacity of the system.

 

Fifty per cent of the mothers are below the age of 24, and half of that group are below age 20, indicating that this may have been their first pregnancy.

 

The CMO said 12.5 per cent are over 35 years or considered of advanced maternal age, while the remaining 37.5 per cent are between 25 and 34 years old.

 

A bacterial outbreak as well as equipment issues at Victoria Jubilee Hospital have been ruled out as a possible cause of death.

 

But Dr. Tufton conceded that labour shortages cannot be overlooked in the conversation.

 

"There is an issue around human resources in terms of the ratio of nurse to babies. I don't know what it is today. We have had issues where it is three times what it should be. One to one is ideal, one to two is acceptable, sometimes we have one to four, one to five. And that's when you start to have real pressure on the personnel to kind of monitor especially the very delicate cases," he admitted. 

 

Dr. Bisasor-McKenzie also provided an update on investigations.

 

"We have looked so far at some of the issues from the side of the baby, which would be what has happened in the nursery from the admission to the demise of the infant. But in terms of the maternal issues, while we have very grossly looked at that, we have not honed down the details of that as yet."

 

She urged mothers to maintain frequent health visits during pregnancy as well as take early action during delivery to address any issues identified.