No parents should experience the heartbreak of watching their child suffer or die

TAMBACOUNDA (Senegal), 13 April 2022 – Imagine for a moment that you are about to give birth. You are at home, accompanied only by a few members of your family. You are in pain, but you have no access to a doctor, nurse or midwife. The first hospital is hundreds of miles from your home.  You know there is a real risk that both you and the baby you have been waiting to meet may not survive the birth. Even if you and the baby survive, you know that the coming days and weeks will be filled with danger.

Imagine now that you are a midwife, preparing to deliver a premature baby. The health center where you work does not have the necessary equipment for such an operation. The mother before you is 16 years old. She is entering the active phase of labour. You are her only source of medical help and hope.

These scenarios illustrate the harsh reality faced by mothers, babies and health workers in remote areas of the Tambacounda region, in south-eastern Senegal. It is a reality that we can and must change to keep every child alive.

Dr Bayal Cissé is the head of health authorities in the Tambacounda region. For him, the reasons for the deaths of mothers before, during or after childbirth are multiple.

"Some mothers are too young; others are victims of haemorrhage; some are anemic; the evacuations are not done in time; the mothers are located very far from the first health center; some operating centers are not functional; some areas face a lack of qualified personnel; others do not have gynecologists or anesthesiologists; and many other reasons" he listed.

"These are only factors related to health. The problem goes far beyond the sector" he explains. "If the mothers are anemic, it is because they are facing problems linked to malnutrition. If the mothers are too young, it is because there are problems related to child protection. The health of adolescents, early pregnancy, early marriage are issues that must be addressed," Cissé says.

“It is for this reason that in the KKBG – referring to the communes of Kothiary, Kohar, Bala and Goumbayel – we try to promote collaboration between different sectors, under the leadership of decentralized authorities. It is a promising model, in which all stakeholders join their forces for the well-being of children and their mothers, by improving the environment in which they live, whether in terms of health, nutrition, water, hygiene and sanitation, child protection or education" he says with great enthusiasm.

In Tambacounda and other regions, UNICEF has equipped neonatology units across the country, with the support of a number of partners, including the French Muskoka Fund and the Government of Japan. The Tambacounda regional hospital is one of the beneficiaries.

"Important efforts have been made to drastically reduce neonatal mortality in the region. In addition to the equipment offered by UNICEF, we have also been able to mobilize resources to strengthen health personnel in the region" he explains.

"We have ensured that mother’s pregnancy, birth and the first days and weeks of life have access to a clean and functional health facility staffed by qualified health workers, and have access to essential medicines and equipment"

"Between 2020 and 2021, new born deaths have decreased by half falling from 354 to 186 in only a year."

"The birth of a baby should be a moment of joy, but for many families it is not the case. No parents should experience the heartbreak of watching their child suffer or die. By making sure every mother and baby has access to affordable, quality care, we can save newborn lives," added Silvia Danailov, UNICEF Representative in Senegal.

"Giving every newborn a fair chance to survive and thrive requires close cooperation between all stakeholders - national and regional authorities, technical and financial partners, the private sector, civil society, health workers, communities and families. These actors need to come together to provide affordable, quality health care for every mother and baby, starting with the most vulnerable,” she concluded.