Maternal Health Programme
Promoting, protecting and restoring the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period to improve maternal and infant survival.
Programme Overview
A patient-centred programme supporting women and babies through preconception, pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care.
What Is The Programme?
Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. The programme seeks to promote, protect and restore women’s health and improve maternal and infant survival.
Why Implement It?
Many women globally die from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications such as infections, severe bleeding, obstructed labour, premature birth and eclampsia.
In Seychelles, rates are relatively low, but the programme remains essential to protect women, infants, children and families.
Aim
To improve maternal and child survival through patient-centred care and evidence-based health services.
Specific Objectives
Antenatal Care
- Diagnose pregnancy and monitor the pregnant woman and baby.
- Detect and manage pregnancy-related complications.
- Screen and treat anaemia, STIs, HIV, mental health conditions and substance abuse.
- Provide immunisation, deworming and supplementation.
- Prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and HTLV-1.
- Support birth preparedness and postnatal care planning.
Intrapartum Care
- Ensure a safe and positive birth experience.
- Provide quality evidence-based care during labour and delivery.
Postpartum Care
- Provide essential postnatal care for mother and newborn.
- Detect and manage postnatal complications.
- Promote exclusive breastfeeding.
- Promote family planning and birth spacing.
Care Pathway
The programme supports mothers and babies across antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal stages.
- Midwife consultations and routine antenatal examinations.
- Laboratory screening tests and ultrasound scans.
- Health education and nutrition counselling.
- Iron, folic acid and tetanus immunisation.
- PMTCT services and doctor consultations.
- Oral health screening and Sophrologie birth preparation classes.
- High-risk pregnancy care.
- Skilled attendance at birth.
- Labour monitoring and management.
- CTG monitoring where indicated.
- Emergency obstetric interventions when required.
- Support for good practices during normal birth.
- Monitoring of mother and baby.
- Breastfeeding support.
- Hearing screening and pulse oximetry screening for newborns.
- BCG vaccination.
- Family planning, nutrition and infant care counselling.
- Birth registration support.
Eligibility
Women of child-bearing age during preconception, pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum stages.
Referral Routes
Self-referral is the norm, with referrals between primary health care facilities, hospitals and specialist services as needed.
Service Providers
- Midwives
- General Practitioners
- Obstetricians
- Supporting health professionals
Where Delivered
Primary Health Care facilities across Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, and the High-Risk Clinic at Seychelles Hospital.