Dealing with maternal and neonatal mortality in the world and in disadvantaged countries, in particular, is an imperative that is accentuated with the evidence that the causes of the problem are known and relatively simple to face, namely within the scope of the functions of nursing professionals.
Maternal and Neonatal Mortality, on the one hand, and the state of development of countries and communities, on the other, are fundamental indicators in the analysis and knowledge of people's health levels, as their close interrelation feeds and favors situations of poverty which, in turn, constitute an obstacle to development itself.
The United Nations and other international agencies responsible for addressing this situation, developed, through the Millennium Development Goals agenda, -year 2000-, and the Goals for Sustainable Development, -year 2015-, an effort to parameterize the different interventions by States and Organizations, based on clear and interdependent objectives.
Angola, is a country in southern Africa, which has very high levels of maternal and neonatal death rates, so that its magnitude has made efforts to find ways to overcome it a national priority, as defined by the Angolan State.
The Centro Materno-Infantil N.ª Sr.ª da Graça, in Benguela, is part of the network of health units of the Catholic Church of Angola and is located within the community of a peripheral neighborhood of Benguela, in a parish with about 140,000 people. It has been developing for ten years an important work to promote maternal and neonatal health, promoting pregnancy surveillance consultations, childbirth and puerperium support, pediatrics, gynecology and obstetrics, health promotion activities, in school and community environments. Since 2009, it has had an average of 800 deliveries and 1900 prenatal consultations per year.
As it is considered a reference center in terms of the quality of health care, with low numbers of maternal and neonatal mortality, it was integrated into a project with international support, to strengthen the skills of nurses, midwives and managers, of health units, of the Catholic Church in the Provinces of Benguela, Huambo and Bié and of elements of health units of the Angolan State, in the same Provinces.
The Forvida project – Thanks Mother program, supported the adaptation of the Center to the maternal and child health needs of a population that lives on the edge of vulnerability.
Using a Case Study strategy, we studied the Center, seeking to understand the underlying reasons for the low rate of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality. Structural and procedural factors were explored, as well as the improvement actions carried out and the dynamics of permanent cooperation with Angolan and international national institutions.
In the end, epidemiological results were obtained on Maternal and Neonatal Mortality, 133/100.000 and 9/1.000, respectively. These results are significantly lower than those accepted by international bodies, 477/100,000 (RMM) and 29/1,000 (MN), in 2018.
As of 2018 and due to methodological changes in the calculation of estimates, Angola started to present a value of 241/100.000 (RMM) (UI:[167-346]) and from 29/1.000 (MN). (1)
It is concluded that the results are due to the relevant consonance of the activity of the CMI-NSG, with the quality standards for this type of health units, defined by the WHO, implemented in the management model and in the organization of nursing and doctors, of the Center, as well as in the permanent connection to the surrounding community.
It is considered demonstrated that it was possible to reduce the indicators of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality, in the Center, in a situation of social vulnerability, with few economic resources.