Improved access to maternal, neonatal care at VJH coming

High Dependency Units at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston will this year be recommissioned as the Ministry of Health and Wellness moves to bolster Jamaica's maternal health outcomes.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, made the disclosure today in his Sectoral presentation in Parliament.

Noting that several maternal health projects are in train, Tufton underscored that the plans are among the Ministry's priorities to safeguard women and their newborns and to meet the targets for the reduction of maternal and infant mortality under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Madam Speaker, COVID-19 has delayed the full commissioning of the PROMAC investments at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital. This year, the committee that I have appointed will lead the work of reinstating the infrastructure provided through our collaboration with the European Union and will rededicate the High Dependency Units and operating theatres that were repurposed to support our COVID-19 fight,” Tufton said.

Through the EU-funded Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC), two High Dependency Units were established at Victoria Jubliee Hospital in 2019 as the Ministry expanded its infrastructure to provide specialised care for new mothers and their babies.

The project also sought to improve the quality of and access to neonatal and emergency obstetric care.

“Madam Speaker, our maternal health statistics are below the SDG target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. Based on the epidemiological report, Jamaica now has 145.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is of great concern to us in the Ministry. One of the causes of the high rates of maternal deaths is due to late presentation of mothers to antenatal care,” Tufton continued.

Pointing to the recently launched 'Start Right' Initiative, the health minister highlighted the programme as an intervention to better equip vulnerable women to take care of themselves and their newborns.

“The objective here is to provide adolescents and vulnerable mothers with an incentive for their full participation in the antenatal care provided in the public health system. Mothers are encouraged through our ongoing public education campaign to attend at least four antenatal visits to ensure their own safety and the safety of the child,” he said.

The initiative is further grounded in the Ministry's strategy to support teen mothers and their babies in accessing and remaining in care after delivery.

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