The past 2018 was a year of achievements for Maternity and Child Health Program (PAMI, in Spanish) in Santiago de Cuba. The best historic results, in 60 years of Revolution, were achieved in the past year.
“On children under one year old, we finished with an infant mortality rate of 3,6 of every 1000 live births, that is, 5 deceased less than 2017; while on children over 5 years, the infant mortality finished in 5,4. Moreover, the maternity mortality was reduced to 24, 85 of every 100 000 live births, that is, 4 less than 2017” expressed Yofaidis Pérez Medina, chief of the program in the Provincial Office of Public Health In Santiago de Cuba.
“In this way, the indirect maternity mortality rate was 8, 3 and the direct 16, 56; outstanding figures for the province as well. This outcome involved the work, effort and sacrifice of all the professionals from the field” added Ms. Perez.
Cesarean section, a rising indicator of maternity morbidity and mortality, was reduced to 32 last year, achieving a primitive Cesarean section rate of 13, 6; the lowest in the whole island. That is why, the provincial department of PAMI acknowledges the good work of the 9 maternity and child hospital from Santiago de Cuba; the Obstetric Department of the Hospital Juan Bruno Zayas, South Maternity Hospital Mariana Grajales and the Maternity Hospital from Palma Soriano had outstanding results though.
Among the municipalities of the province the head municipality had the best results with a rate of 2, 87 on infant mortality, and the municipality of Guama 2, 36.
“We all have worked hard from January 1st to December 31th of 2018 to get this outcome. In the same way, keeping it or improving it in 2019 will be a challenge, this implies increasing the quality of the health care service to the people from Santiago at all levels” concluded Dr. Yofaisis Perez.