Maternal and Neonatal Death
Review System to Improve Maternal
and Neonatal Health Care Services
in Bangladesh
Animesh BiswAs
Medical Sciences with focus on Health and Care Sciences
Örebro Studies in Care Science 63 I
ÖREBRO 2015ÖREBRO STUDIES IN CARE SCIENCE 63 2015
ANI
M
eSH
B
IS
w
AS
Ma
te
rn
al a
nd N
eo
na
ta
l De
ath R
ev
ie
w S
ys
te
m t
o I
m
pr
ov
e .
..
animesh biswas is a medical doctor, specializing in public health. He has been pursuing his research study at Örebro University since 2012. He has been working in a reputed national health research organization, the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB), since 2007, and as a senior scientist in the reproductive and child health unit at the centre. He has a bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBBS) from Bangladesh (2003). He completed a master’s degree in public health (health promotion) in 2006, and a further master’s degree in applied public health nutrition in 2008 at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. His main research areas are maternal and neonatal health and death review systems, including verbal and social autopsy in the community.
Maternal and neonatal deaths, including stillbirth reduction, are a key challenge worldwide. The Sustainable Developmental Goal-3 is to reduce maternal mortality ratio 70 per 100,000 live births and neonatal mortality rate at least as low as 12 per 1000 live births is the key mandate globally by 2030. Bangladesh is progressing in reducing the deaths of mothers and neonates substantially. However, the death rate is still higher than in many other countries, which requires urgent attention. The country does not have a comprehensive death review system that can provide evidence on causes of deaths and ways to intervene. This doctoral study has focused on and illustra-ted a newly developed maternal and neonatal death review (MNDR) system, looking at its feasibility, acceptability and effects in reducing maternal and neonatal deaths in Bangladesh. MNDR has covered both community and facility maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths by notifying deaths, and doing verbal or social autopsy and on-site facility death review. The thesis illustrates the process of its development, its feasibility in reporting deaths, how the system has been accepted by the government health system and by the community, and how it helps to improve maternal and neonatal health services to reduce the deaths of mothers and the newborn including stillbirths.
issn 1652-1153 isbn 978-91-7529-103-1
