Harare, 17 February 2004 -- African governments should ensure improved access to emergency obstetric care (EOC) as this is key to reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in order to reduce the high maternal and neonatal mortality rate in the Region, a Reproductive Health expert said in Harare on Monday.

Dr Doyin Oluwole, Director of the Division of Family and Reproductive Health at the WHO Regional Office for Africa made this appeal during a press interview on the sidelines of a regional meeting which is developing a roadmap and common strategy to reduce maternal death by 75%, and newborn deaths by 66% in the next 10 years.

"Every pregnancy carries a risk, hence there is a need for ensuring the availability and accessibility of EOC," she said, listing the delays women encounter as: delay in deciding to seek appropriate care, delay in reaching the appropriate facility and delay in receiving adequate treatment at the facility.

Speaking on the document which the Harare meeting is charged with developing, Dr Oluwole stated that the meeting would ensure that the roadmap would be performance-based, with benchmarks and definite time lines, roles and responsibilities for implementation, as well as definite monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

Speaking at the same forum, Zimbabwe's Secretary for Health and Child Welfare, Dr Elizabeth Xaba, stressed the necessity for governments to strengthen health systems, as this was crucial to enhancing maternal and newborn health.

She listed some factors that affect the overall level of maternal mortality as the level of women's basic education, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, and high poverty levels.

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