🩺
Stop Maternal Mortality
Countries🇨🇲Cameroon
WHO · UNICEF · UN IGME 2024← All Countries
🇨🇲
Maternal & Child Mortality
in Cameroon
Central Africa · #18 of 30 worst globally
Child Deaths Since Jan 1, 2026
0
62.5 per 1,000 live births · Cameroon
Deaths at Birth Today
0
est. newborns today
Infant Mortality Rate
62.5
per 1,000 · 2.3× world avg
Maternal Mortality Rate
438
per 100,000 · 2.2× world avg
Flag of CameroonCentral Africa
Birth Mortality Crisis

Mothers & Newborns
Dying in Cameroon
During Childbirth

438 maternal deaths per 100,000 — the Anglophone regions are experiencing sharply worsening rates as armed groups target health facilities.

Newborn & Infant Mortality
62.5deaths per 1,000 live births
2.3× the world average
Maternal Mortality During Birth
438deaths per 100,000 live births
2.2× the world average
👶

Newborn & Child Deaths During Birth in Cameroon

The Anglophone crisis (since 2016) has effectively destroyed the health system in the North West and South West regions. Boko Haram raids in the Far North have destroyed dozens of health facilities.

National progress stalled since 2016. Conflict zones are experiencing sharp deterioration.

Leading Causes of Child Death at Birth
Malaria30%
Neonatal causes23%
Diarrhoea14%
Pneumonia13%
HIV/AIDS7%
Other13%

* Neonatal deaths (first 28 days) represent the largest share of under-5 mortality.

What Happens in the Delivery Room
🏥
Births in a health facility~81%
estimated — lower in conflict/rural areas
👩‍⚕️
Skilled birth attendant present~47%
doctor, midwife or trained nurse
⚠️
Neonatal deaths (first 28 days)48%
of all under-5 deaths occur at birth
🩸
Most preventable with skilled care~75%
of child and maternal deaths
🤱

Maternal Mortality During Birth in Cameroon

60% of health facilities in the North West and South West regions have closed. 700,000+ people are internally displaced. Health workers face threats from both government forces and separatist fighters.

Deteriorating in conflict zones; modest improvement elsewhere.

Causes of Death During Labour & Delivery
Haemorrhage28%
Eclampsia21%
Sepsis17%
Malaria in pregnancy15%
Obstructed labour12%
Other7%

* Haemorrhage and eclampsia together cause over 50% of deaths — both are treatable with basic skilled care.

Why Mothers Die at Birth Here
🩺
Emergency obstetric care availableLimited
few facilities can manage haemorrhage
🩸
Blood transfusion accessCritical gap
haemorrhage kills within 2 hours
💊
Magnesium sulphate (eclampsia)Often absent
costs $1 — saves lives instantly
If skilled care were universal~75% fewer deaths
WHO estimate for this mortality level
⚠️

Why Is This Still Happening?

Structural Barriers to Safe Birth in Cameroon
Anglophone separatist war — 700,000 displaced, 60% of facilities closed
Boko Haram raiding communities in the Far North
3.6% HIV prevalence driving maternal complications
Health workers deliberately targeted by armed groups
🎯
SDG 3 Progress Assessment

Peace in the Anglophone regions would be transformative for Cameroon's health trajectory.

💡
Prevention & Solutions

How Can We Prevent This in Cameroon?

📍 The Situation

Cameroon has one of Africa's more developed health systems, but is experiencing severe deterioration in the Anglophone regions due to ongoing armed conflict. The Anglophone crisis has caused the closure of hundreds of health facilities and the displacement of over 750,000 people in regions that previously had reasonable healthcare access.

🔬 How Ultrasound Helps

In stable Cameroon, POCUS training for the existing nursing cadre is straightforwardly implementable — the infrastructure exists. In the Anglophone crisis zones, portable POCUS deployed through humanitarian health teams serves a bridging function, maintaining obstetric diagnostic capability in the absence of functioning fixed facilities. GUSI's global health network is relevant to both contexts.

🎓 The Training Gap

Cameroon needs a two-track approach: national integration of POCUS training through nursing schools in stable regions, and emergency deployment of trained humanitarian health workers in the Anglophone crisis zones. GUSI's programs support both tracks.

🩺
Global Ultrasound Institute · GUSI
The training that closes the gap exists today.

GUSI trains physicians, nurses, midwives, and community health workers in Point-of-Care Ultrasound — the technology that detects the conditions killing mothers and babies before they become emergencies. OB POCUS · Pediatric POCUS · Primary Care POCUS · Online & in-person.

What a trained provider can detect with a portable ultrasound device
🩸Placenta previa
🔄Malpresentation
👥Twin pregnancy
📉Fetal growth restriction
Pre-eclampsia markers
🫁Childhood pneumonia
💉Internal bleeding
🧠Hydrocephalus
🧮
Interactive Model

POCUS Impact Calculator — Cameroon

Model based on: 600 scans/provider/year · 15% high-risk detection rate · 47% mortality reduction for detected cases (Swanson et al. 2014 · WHO POCUS in LMICs review)
50
1 provider250500 providers
Scans per Year
30,000
pregnant women screened
High-Risk Detected
4,500
flagged for referral / intervention
Maternal Deaths Prevented
30
mothers saved per year
Newborn Deaths Prevented
50
babies saved per year
Total Lives Saved Per Year
80deaths prevented
1.6
lives per provider
$309
est. cost per life saved
$24,750
total training investment

* This calculator uses a conservative evidence-based model. Actual impact varies by deployment context, provider experience, and health system capacity. Training cost based on GUSI OB POCUS Essentials (~$495/provider). Mortality reduction from peer-reviewed POCUS implementation studies in low-resource settings.

Technology & Education

A Practical Plan to Bring POCUS to Cameroon

🗺️ Our Plan to Bring POCUS to Cameroon

Our goal is to partner with GUSI (Global Ultrasound Institute) and leading portable ultrasound manufacturers to place life-saving diagnostic tools directly in the hands of trained local providers across Cameroon — so that dangerous complications are caught early, not discovered too late.

  1. Start with the ground truth.Our plan begins by mapping what already exists — facilities, referral pathways, blood supply, and the midwives, nurses, and physicians who are closest to mothers at the moment of crisis.
  2. Train local champions through GUSI.We enrol a core group of local providers in GUSI's OB POCUS Essentials and Pediatric POCUS courses — then certify them to train others, so the knowledge multiplies without depending on outside experts indefinitely.
  3. Put the right device in the right hands.We partner with portable ultrasound brands — Butterfly iQ+, Philips Lumify, GE Vscan Air — to source devices suited to Cameroon's power infrastructure, connectivity, and budget. No unnecessary complexity, just what works in the field.
  4. Build a referral system around what the scan finds.A scan without a clear next step saves no one. Our plan defines exactly what to look for, which findings require immediate referral, and how to document everything at the point of care — so no warning sign is lost in translation.
  5. Sustain it through ongoing quality assurance.Regular image review sessions, outcomes tracking, and refresher training keep skills sharp and standards high — turning a one-time intervention into a durable change in how care is delivered.
📡 Recommended Portable Ultrasound Devices
🦋 Butterfly iQ+
Website →
Single-probe whole-body device covering OB, cardiac, lung, and FAST exams. App-based platform with built-in AI guidance. Designed for low-resource environments — charges via USB and works with any smartphone.
🔵 Philips Lumify
Website →
App-based probe that plugs into Android phones. Multiple transducer heads available for OB and point-of-care use. Widely used in GUSI-supported training programs globally.
🟢 GE Vscan Air
Website →
Wireless, pocket-sized dual-probe handheld. Streams live images to a smartphone app. Excellent battery life — purpose-built for rapid bedside OB and FAST-style assessments.
🔷 Clarius HD3
Website →
High-resolution wireless handheld. Multiple probe configurations available. Strong image quality in a compact form factor — suitable for OB, lung, and neonatal scanning.
Global Ultrasound Institute · GUSI

The training that closes the gap — built for providers in settings like Cameroon

GUSI trains physicians, nurses, midwives, and community health workers in Point-of-Care Ultrasound. Courses are designed from the ground up for providers in resource-limited settings — short, practical, competency-based, and available online or in person. Every course maps directly to the conditions killing mothers and babies during childbirth.

50+
Countries trained
OB · Peds · Emergency
POCUS specialties
Online + In-person
Flexible delivery
WHO-aligned
Curriculum standard
Available Courses
Online + hands-on
OB POCUS Essentials
The core obstetric ultrasound curriculum — fetal presentation, placenta location, amniotic fluid, gestational age, and fetal heart. Designed for physicians, nurses, and midwives with no prior ultrasound experience.
Learn more →
Online + hands-on
Pediatric POCUS
Point-of-care ultrasound for newborn and child emergencies — pneumonia, pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade, intussusception, and more. Critical for settings where neonatal and child mortality is highest.
Learn more →
Online + hands-on
FAST & Emergency POCUS
Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma — rapid detection of internal bleeding, haemothorax, and pericardial effusion. Life-saving in obstetric haemorrhage settings.
Learn more →
On-site program
Global Health Initiative
GUSI partners with hospitals, NGOs, and governments to deploy POCUS training at scale in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America — including train-the-trainer models for local sustainability.
Learn more →