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Infection prevention is hugely important in this time of COVID, both to protect patients and healthcare workers. 15% of maternal deaths in Ethiopia are due to infections and complications after C-sections. Lifebox is working to improve the safety of these surgeries and the care that women receive.
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Beneficiaries
Situation
In Ethiopia, maternal mortality is 401 per 100,000 live births and neonatal mortality 30 per 1,000 live births. This compares to 7 and 3.8 in the UK. Infections and complications following C-sections are estimated to cause 15% of maternal deaths in the country, and the overall infection rate following C-section is estimated at 8.81%. The COVID pandemic has only made this worse.
Solution
Lifebox has developed a programme to prevent and reduce surgical infections which we call 'Clean Cut'. Since being piloted in central Ethiopia in 2016 we have delivered this at 8 hospitals, benefitting an estimated 34,000 patients. Results to date demonstrate a 46% reduction in the relative risk of infection. We have adapted Clean Cut for a time of COVID and wish to take this to maternity hospitals in the capital, Addis Ababa, in collaboration with local obstetricians and surgeons.
