As part of the drive to achieve 0 preventable maternal deaths, UNFPA has launched a rapid national survey on EmONCs to provide the health system with a response to direct and indirect obstetric and neonatal complications, an essential means of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.

EmONCs fieldworkers/ UNFPA Gabon

Indeed, the maternal mortality ratio has risen from 316 deaths per 100,000 live births (EDS 2012) to 399 deaths per 100,000 live births (EDSG, 2021). This data is an alarm and calls into question the quality of services as presenting an increase in maternal deaths in Gabon.

The availability of EmONCs is a measure of the health system's capacity to respond to direct and indirect obstetric and neonatal complications, an essential means of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.

This rapid EmONC survey will make it possible to identify bottlenecks in service provision and quality of care, and to propose solutions in terms of infrastructure reinforcement, service reorganization, human resources reinforcement (assignment, training, supervision, etc.), renewal of certain equipment and quality assurance of service provision.