Saving Babies: A perinatal care survey of South Africa 2000

The aims are listed below.

1. Reach consensus on indicators the group will use to describe perinatal care
2. Reach consensus on the minimal data required for perinatal care surveillance and standardisation of the data-collecting tool
3. Collate available data in order to describe perinatal care in terms of relevant indicators (e.g. perinatal mortality rate, neonatal death rate), the common causes of perinatal death, and the common missed opportunities, avoidable factors and substandard care
4. Identify problems with the current data set and decide on methods of improving the data set for the future
5. Prioritise, with respect to resources and current knowledge, major problem areas in perinatal care Plan strategies to deal with these problem areas
6. Produce a report for the Department of Health and all health workers involved in the care of women and children
7. To bring together program managers and health workers involved in perinatal care surveillance in order to promote communication and support.

Point 6 is very ambitious and although the problem areas became very clear to all delegates early on, the planning of strategies to deal with the problems was only started at the workshop. Those suggested in the report should serve as initial suggestions to start a national debate on the possible solutions for the problems identified.

In no way must the report be interpreted as a government policy document.