Latest news with #obstetriccare
Zawya
09-08-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Improving access to maternal health care in Burkina Faso
"During my first pregnancy three years ago, I had to travel 45 km just to have get an ultrasound. I had to pay for transport, wait for an appointment and sometimes even go to a private clinic and pay 10 000 CFA francs. Between the cost of transport and the time lost, a lot of women gave up," says Kindo, a mother of two. "Now that we can have an ultrasound here in Tiériba, free of charge, and on the same day as the consultation, it's a real relief.' In Burkina Faso, improving access to obstetric care is a major strategic focus in the efforts to curb maternal mortality. An initiative has been introduced: training midwives in basic obstetric ultrasound during antenatal consultations to improve pregnancy monitoring—particularly in remote areas where specialists are hard to reach. Obstetric ultrasound is a key tool in antenatal care to determine gestation date, detect foetal abnormalities, detect ectopic pregnancies, assess foetal growth and determine the most suitable delivery method. In 2021, the Ministry of Health launched a pilot programme in eight health districts in Boucle du Mouhoun and Hauts-Bassins regions. 'In the past, pregnant women monitored at our centre had to go elsewhere to get an ultrasound. This caused delays in diagnosis, extra costs, and sometimes avoidable complications,' says Denise, a midwife and head of the maternity ward at the Sakaby Urban Medical Centre. Denise, along with 17 other midwives, received specialized training in basic obstetric ultrasound in November 2023. 'This initiative is a game-changer because early detection of complications is essential for the safety of both mother and baby,' she explains. Following the training, she and her team performed over 2000ultrasounds tests between January 2024 and March 2025, and 10 high-risk pregnancies were identified and managed in time. 'Easy access to ultrasound is of strategic importance, both in terms of public health and socio-economic development. Ultrasound enables early and noninvasive diagnosis of abnormalities, allowing for timely care,' explains Dr Moussa Dadjoari, Head of Women, Men and Elderly Health Services at the Ministry of Health's Family Health Directorate. The Sakaby Urban Medical Centre also recorded the highest number of antenatal consultations and deliveries since the start of the project, with over 1300 antenatal consultations and deliveries November 2022 and October 2023. The initiative is part of a broader drive to improve maternal care quality, alongside other measures such as free healthcare for pregnant women and children under five, including childbirth-related care, free access to family planning, enhanced community health through targeted health promotion and prevention for pregnant and postpartum women, and better management of obstetric complications. The project was made possible through funding from the Sexual and Reproductive Health Project, which supported the development of a training manual for ultrasound and the training of trainers. Dr Jean de Dieu Sanou, a gynaecologist-obstetrician at Sourou Sanou University Hospital in Bobo-Dioulasso and one of six trainers recruited for the project, welcomes the results but highlights areas for improvement. 'Although the training duration for midwives was relatively short, it provides useful basic knowledge in underserved areas. The lack of ultrasound can lead to late diagnosis of serious conditions or missing multiple pregnancies altogether.' WHO recommends one ultrasound before the 24th week of pregnancy to optimise antenatal follow-up. This approach not only reduces risks for mother and child but also strengthens women's trust in the health system. 'For this recommendation to become a reality, it's vital to invest more in staff training, health facility equipment and community awareness,' says Dr Ramatou Sawadogo Windsouri, head of the maternal and child health programme at the WHO office in Burkina Faso. WHO has provided strategic support to the Family Health Directorate to engage professional bodies, particularly obstetrician-gynaecologists, midwives and radiologists in promoting acceptance. WHO also supported the development of a training manual tailored to the Burkina Faso context. Nevertheless, challenges remain. In most health centres, only one midwife has been trained, making the service unavailable in their absence. Supply shortages have aso been reported. WHO and the Ministry of Health plan to extend the project to other districts, with support from the World Bank. The goal is to make basic prenatal ultrasound an essential service accessible to all pregnant women, wherever they live. By bringing ultrasound into public health centres, inequalities in access to care are reduced and lives are saved. 'After having the ultrasound with my midwife, I felt reassured seeing the baby's position in my womb and knowing everything was fine. It made for a better pregnancy experience,' says Kindo, hopeful that this essential service will remain sustainable and accessible to all pregnant women in Burkina Faso. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Researchers warn planned C-section births — the most common surgery in the US — can increase risk of childhood cancers
Children born using planned Cesarean section procedures may have a heightened risk of developing certain childhood cancers, according to the researchers. After studying the health of nearly 2.5 million children, members of the Swedish Karolinska Institutet found an increased risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia during these events – and not in similar emergency 'C-section' procedures. They're still working to understand why this is the case, but have identified possible factors that could help to explain. The researchers noted that babies in planned C-sections are not stressed or exposed to vaginal bacteria, as during emergency C-sections. Doctors perform a C-section when the health of the baby is at risk or when a vaginal delivery isn't possible or safe. 'C-sections are an important and often life-saving part of obstetric care. We don't want mothers to feel anxious about medically indicated C-sections. But when this result is combined with other study results showing that the risk of later asthma, allergies or type 1 diabetes increases in children born by planned C-section, there is reason to discuss C-sections that are not medically indicated," researcher Christina-Evmorfia Kampitsi said in a statement. Kampitsi and her team found that of the nearly 376,000 children born in by C-section Sweden between 1982 to 1989 and 1999 to 2015, nearly 1,500 later developed leukaemia. The risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia was 21 percent higher in children born by planned C-section compared with children born vaginally. Furthermore, the risk of developing the most common form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, known as B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, was 29 percent higher in those born by planned C-section. The increased cancer risk was more pronounced in boys than in girls, and in the early years of a child's life. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a type of blood and bone marrow cancer, and the most common type of cancer in children. It's also unclear what causes the DNA mutations that can lead to the cancer, but treatments result in a good chance for a cure, according to the Mayo Clinic. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 6,100 new cases and 1,400 deaths this year due to the cancer in both U.S. children and adults. The researchers emphasized that the risk of developing these cancers remains low, regardless of the mode of delivery. The excess risk associated with planned C-sections corresponds to approximately one case of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia annually, they said. C-sections have become increasingly common in the U.S., accounting for about one in three births, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Notably, maternal mortality has been rising in the U.S. in recent years, with as many as 84 percent of pregnancy-related deaths believed to be preventable, according to Yale Medicine. There are 1.2 million C-sections performed every year, making it the 'most common major surgery performed in the United States,' according to Dr. Cindy Celnik, the chief medical officer of The Woman's Hospital of Texas. "Fortunately, acute lymphoblastic leukemia is rare,' added Kampitsi. 'This means that many C-deliveries are needed to obtain a statistically significant result, and it is difficult to obtain such a large sample in a Swedish registry study. However, the results are close to significant, are in line with what previous studies have shown, and remain when we adjust for other relevant factors, which still makes them relevant.'
