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“Most mothers either die at home giving birth or on the way to the health center. With the provision of the motor cycle ambulances, we are sure the rate of mortality death shall be minimized."
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South
Sudan Spearheads Motorcycle Ambulances Program to
Reduce Child & Maternal Mortality Rates |
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Marvis Birungi, The New Sudan Vision |
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21
March 2009 |
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Three-year-old
Sarah is the millionth child to be immunized against measles in Southern
Sudan (UNICEF/Sudan 2006) (Juba NSV) - The GoSS Ministry of Health, backed by UNICEF and other partners unveiled a further effort to reduce child and maternal mortality with the launch of Accelerated Child Survival Initiative ACSI in Eastern Equatorial state Friday. The ACSI came in formats of five motorcycle ambulances including polio vaccination, de-worming, provision of vitamin A, and anti-malarial bed nets along with the provision of health practices such as breast feeding and hand washing. The aim is to ensure that between 63 and 74 percent of children under the age of five will benefit from these services within the first year in the semi-autonomous region. However, the region has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. According to the 2006 Sudan Household Health Survey, an estimated "under-five mortality rates in parts of Southern Sudan are as high as 192 deaths for every 1,000 live births." Joyce Mphaya, safe mother hood specialist with UNICEF said the motorcycle ambulances are a critical step towards strengthening routine health care programmes. “Health facilities are far apart from homes in southern Sudan, [and] the existence of the motor cycle ambulance will cease the distance and any poor health conditions since it comes with a variety of medical equipments,” she said. Suzanna Patrick, a mother of six from Hiyala payam in Torit, lamented the very bad health conditions for pregnant mothers in the area. “Our area is too big and has one health facility. We always fail to transport a mother in labour to the dispensary,” she said. “Most mothers either die at home giving birth or on the way to the health center. “With the provision of the motor cycle ambulances, we are sure the rate of mortality death shall be minimized,” she said. UNICEF’s director of operations for Southern Sudan, Peter Crowley pointed to the long term benefits of the ACSI approach. “We know from experience across Africa that accelerated child survival and development programmes, which focus on simple but effective health activities, can reduce child mortality by an average of 20 percent,” he said a day before the launch. "Improved infant and child feeding practices, routine immunization, malaria prevention, promotion of health education, tackling mother to child transmission of HIV, and providing enhanced skills training for community health workers will all contribute to a healthier generation of children and women, and to the broader development of southern Sudan." The motor cycle ambulance The ambulance has been developed to provide transport to and from local health centers, providing communities with the means to take advantage of distant and widespread health centers. The ambulances are able to safely and comfortably carry one client and a medical worker plus emergency supplies for on site treatment. The ambulances will be based at primary health care centers and will provide emergency obstetric care referral transportation to pregnant women in the communities to health facilities when ever necessary and transport referred cases from health centers to hospitals. The Director General of Primary Health Care in the GoSS Ministry of Health, Atem Nathan Riek applauded the efforts of UNICEF and the other partners like WHO for their tireless commitment in improving the health facilities in the region. ACSI will eventually roll out to other states of southern Sudan if the initiative is successfully implemented. Currently Malawi and Uganda and other places are using the ACSI initiative and it's estimated that facility based deliveries increased since the introduction of the ACSI. |
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