Background
53 maternal deaths were recorded in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province during the first and second quarter of 2016. 13% of these deaths were caused by prolonged and obstructed labour. Chililabombwe District, in the north part of the province, recorded 10 maternal deaths in the same period. 40% of these deaths were due to the above reasons.

About the project
This project was created to improve and strengthen the care of women in labour through the use of a partograph. A partograph is a graphical record showing the progress of labour on a sheet of paper, helping midwives to identify and treat any abnormal deviations. The project team aimed to increase nurses and midwives awareness on SRHR services and partograph use at three selected health facilities in the Chililabombwe district.

Results
So far, 107 midwives have been trained on the correct use of partograph during labour. The project team have recorded an improvement in partograph use among the midwives in the three health facilities, which has enabled them to identify complications at an earlier stage. This project has now been rolled out to five other districts and the program has been included in the Copperbelt provincial action plan.

Year: 2016