The Tribune

The Bahamas’ perinatal mortality rates are at an all-time low, Dr Leon Dupuch, consultant and chief of services in the Dept of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Princess Margaret Hospital, has revealed.

Speaking at the Southeast Nassau Rotaract club last Wednesday evening, Dr Dupuch discussed the importance of the World Health Organization’s Millemium Goals and the major steps The Bahamas has made in an attempt to achieve them. He especially focused on the attempts made to improve maternal health, decrease child mortality and perinatal mortality.

Dr Dupuch described some of the programmes that were being used to improve these, including ongoing emergency drill and CTG training, morbidity and mortality meetings, contraceptive clinics, teen clinics and extensive public advertising and video campaigns to name a few.

“Perinatal Mortality is a key population health indicator,” Dr Dupuch said. He explained the perinatal mortality rate was the number of stillbirths plus early neonatal deaths per 1000 live births and still births.

Dr Dupuch said the perinatal mortality in The Bahamas has remained somewhat constant over the years at a rate of an average of 18-20. However, 2016 saw a decrease with the perinatal mortality rate calculated at 14.

Dr Dupuch discussed the many contributing factors such as co-morbidities including uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes and obesity, domestic violence, very low birth weight infants and poor antenatal clinic attendance. Additionally, he highlighted the lack of resources including poorly maintained and shortage of equipment (trolleys, ventilators) and shortage of midwives.

Promising that it was “not all doom and gloom”, Dr Dupuch went on to say the present government and Minister of Health, Dr Sands, have remained very much engaged and are making every effort to help him and his team improve outcomes.

Last year, 2017, there were 4278 births in The Bahamas. The perinatal mortality rate fell even further, to 13, the lowest it’s ever been in the last decade. While noting the rate was still unacceptably high, Dr Dupuch described it as showing great improvement.