REPRODUCTIVE AGE MORTALITY SURVEY TO STUDY UNDER-REPORTING OF MATERNAL MORTALITY IN SURINAM

Objectives: A nationwide confidential enquiry into maternal deaths was carried out in Surinam during the years 1991-1993. Preliminary analys is showed a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 240 per 100 000 live bir ths, which was almost four times higher than the official MMR for the preceding decade. The question arose whether maternal deaths had been under-reported for the years 1981-1990. For these 10 years official st atistics revealed 65 maternal deaths. Methods: For the period 1981-199 0 a retrospective reproductive age mortality survey was carried out in five urban hospitals covering 78% of all deliveries in Surinam. Resul ts: In these hospitals 1216 women of age 10-49 years died. Due to diso rganized filing 439 medical records (36%) could not be traced. By revi ewing 64% of the records, 85 maternal deaths were identified (70 direc t and 15 indirect). Conclusion: Although only 64% of medical records c ould be reviewed, the number of maternal deaths identified in five hos pitals (85) was 1.3 times higher than the officially reported number f or the whole country (65). Maternal mortality was found therefore to b e under-reported in Surinam for the period 1981-1990. (C) 1998 Elsevie r Science Ireland Ltd.