Rate of maternal deaths here is ‘double official figure’

A new report from Maternal Death Enquiry (MDE) Ireland says the true maternal death rate is eight per 100,000 births if internationally recognised criteria are applied.

The CSO relies solely on death certificates when compiling information, but MDE Ireland, which is funded by the HSE, gets information from different sources including hospitals, Coroners’ Courts and public health nurses. MDE Ireland, overseen by doctors and midwives, was set up in 2009 to carry out confidential enquiries into maternal deaths.

Dr Michael O’Hare, an obstetrician in Newry who chaired the working group overseeing the report, told the Irish Independent: “The CSO was missing a lot of deaths. Ireland still compares very well with other European countries but this report flags room for improvement.”(Independent) >