Tunisia-27th Session May 2017-Maternal health / morbidity / mortality

Para 218) In response to Sustainable Development Goal 3, Tunisia has made the “improvement of maternal and child health” one of its priorities thanks to its national programme for maternal and infant health, which aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality and disease. According to the latest prenatal health-care statistics, services were delivered in 359,192 cases in 2020, compared to 470,378 cases in 2019, as well as 58,609 prenatal services in 2020 and 82,458 in 2019. Para 219) The results of a 2018 multiple indicator cluster survey indicated that: • At the national level, 84.1 per cent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 – 88.5 per cent in urban areas and 76.6 per cent in rural areas – conducted at least four medical visits in the final phase of their pregnancy; • In all, 26.4 per cent of women had a postpartum screening in the first week after giving birth, while 58.6 per cent of women had no postpartum screening. Para 220) Although an increase in maternal mortality has been recorded – 44.8 cases per 100,000 births as of 2019 – Tunisia nonetheless holds a leading place in terms of the coverage of its health services and its maternal and newborn health care. A total of 99 per cent of women have at least one scan during pregnancy and 85 per cent have at least four scans. Moreover, 99 per cent of women give birth in health institutions. Para 222) In this context, the national strategy for the advancement of maternal and newborn health 2020–2024 has been updated at an estimated cost of D 32 million, in cooperation with UNFPA, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The strategy covers five areas: facilitating the ongoing availability of health services to all groups and in all regions; improving service quality; enhancing governance, the proper use of resources and accountability; involving the community and civil society in promoting maternal and newborn health; and consolidating follow-up and evaluation systems. Para 223) In 2020 and 2021, 24 pregnancy-related training courses were held for 562 medical and paramedical personnel working in the field of education and awareness-raising.