Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie
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Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie
By Clinton McGregor/Nakinskie Robinson
The Ministry of Health says it is concerned about the increasing number of pregnant women dying during deliveries.
The issue was raised Wednesday by Opposition Spokesman on Health Dr. Alfred Dawes.
Dr. Dawes reported that there is now a significant increase in neonatal, infant, and maternal mortality rates on the island.
He said more mothers and newborns are dying due to the breakdown in the country's healthcare system.
Speaking Thursday at a Ministry of Health press conference, Chief Medical Officer for Health Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie said the data is worrying.
She said a number of factors have led to the increase in deaths among mothers and their babies, including the rise in our hypertensive disorders or diabetes during pregnancy.
"Our women are choosing to have births later. And as it is that women get older, then they're more likely to develop chronic disorders, which puts not just themselves, but the babies at risk. And I pointed out as well in terms of the nutrition, in terms that we're not paying attention as we used to, to some of the nutrition issues and so we find that we have a lot of women who are anemic. We also have a problem with obesity," she said, noting that one in two persons are either overweight or obese in Jamaica.
"That BMI level affects the pregnancy as well, and affects the development of disorders that leads to premature deliveries, that leads to smaller babies, low birth weight babies, who have a tendency not to do so well," she warned.
Dr. Bisasor-McKenzie said the Ministry is seeking to correct the crisis.
"This is not something that is good, and I mean, it's something we have a discussion about almost every day in saying, how do we bring down these numbers? As I said, going into this June, July, August period, we would have had that discussion with our hospitals. What is the extra that we can do? How is it that we make sure that none of the problems that we would have encountered in previous years, we have those problems again? So we are trying, we recognise the problem. It's very, very glaring for us. We recognise the factors that can contribute to it, and we are working," she asserted.
PROMAC
As the war of words continues about the availability of critical equipment in the health sector, the Chief Medical Officer sought to give an account for the Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC).
The CMO, who also provided an update on the number of high dependency units (HDUs) in the country, disclosed that there were approximately 30 units prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
HDUs are special wards for people who need more intensive observation, treatment and nursing care than is possible in a general ward, but slightly less than that given in intensive care.
Ventilators are used in both areas.
Dr. Bisasor-McKenzie also listed the medical facilities where some of the 118 active ventilators are being used.
"We would have increased the capacity, for example, at Mandeville Regional Hospital, at St. Ann's Bay Regional Hospital, at Cornwall Regional Hospital, and at Bustamante and [Kingston Public Hospital]-Victoria Jubilee, we would have brought in some of the PROMAC spaces."
But she admitted that although the ventilators are available, "maintenance of the HDU and ICU spaces is dependent on having the staff, and so you will find that we expand, and then we contract".
The Health Ministry press briefing on Thursday was in response to questions by Opposition Spokesman on Health Dr. Alfred Dawes over the whereabouts of the 105 ventilators donated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Dr. Dawes called for the Health Ministry to disclose the number of available intensive-care unit and high-dependency units, as well as the status of the PROMAC.
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