WHO · UNICEF · UN IGME 2024← All Countries

🇲🇿

Maternal & Child Mortality
in Mozambique

Southern Africa · #13 of 30 worst globally

Child Deaths Since Jan 1, 2026

0

67.8 per 1,000 live births · Mozambique

Deaths at Birth Today

0

est. newborns today

Infant Mortality Rate

67.8

per 1,000 · 2.5× world avg

Maternal Mortality Rate

330

per 100,000 · 1.7× world avg

Southern Africa

Birth Mortality Crisis

Mothers & Newborns
Dying in Mozambique
During Childbirth

330 maternal deaths per 100,000 — still 15× the SDG target, driven by malaria in pregnancy and a critical shortage of health workers.

Newborn & Infant Mortality

67.8deaths per 1,000 live births

2.5× the world average

Maternal Mortality During Birth

330deaths per 100,000 live births

1.7× the world average

👶

Newborn & Child Deaths During Birth in Mozambique

Cyclone Idai (2019) was one of the worst tropical cyclones to hit Africa, destroying health facilities in Sofala province. The Cabo Delgado insurgency has displaced 1 million people in the north.

Strong progress 2000–2015 (~50% reduction) but climate shocks and conflict have reversed gains in affected regions.

Leading Causes of Child Death at Birth

Malaria28%

Neonatal causes25%

Pneumonia14%

Diarrhoea13%

HIV/AIDS8%

Other12%

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

What Happens in the Delivery Room

🏥

Births in a health facility~80%

estimated — lower in conflict/rural areas

👩‍⚕️

Skilled birth attendant present~44%

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 Mozambique

Debt crisis (2016), cyclones (2019), COVID-19, and the Cabo Delgado insurgency have severely disrupted momentum from the 2000s.

Improving trajectory disrupted by overlapping crises.

Causes of Death During Labour & Delivery

Haemorrhage27%

Malaria in pregnancy20%

Eclampsia18%

Sepsis16%

HIV in pregnancy10%

Other9%

* 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 Mozambique

Cyclone Idai (2019) devastating health infrastructure

Cabo Delgado jihadist insurgency displacing 1M+

Debt crisis (2016) cutting social spending

12.5% HIV prevalence driving maternal deaths

Only 0.07 doctors per 1,000 people

🎯

SDG 3 Progress Assessment

Mozambique's trajectory was Africa's most promising; multiple overlapping crises now threaten to reverse two decades of gains.

💡

Prevention & Solutions

How Can We Prevent This in Mozambique?

📍 The Situation

Mozambique has made genuine progress in maternal mortality reduction over the past two decades, but a series of devastating cyclones and the Cabo Delgado insurgency have repeatedly set back health infrastructure, particularly in the centre and north of the country.

🔬 How Ultrasound Helps

Mozambique is an example of where portable ultrasound has already shown impact — several pilot programs have deployed POCUS to rural health centres with positive outcomes. Scaling these programs nationally, with standardized training through organizations like GUSI, is the logical next step. The existing evidence base from Mozambique itself makes the case for investment clear.

🎓 The Training Gap

Mozambique's challenge is scaling what has already been proven to work. National standardization of POCUS training through GUSI's curriculum, combined with government commitment to equip all district health centres, would achieve nationwide coverage within a 5-year programme.

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 — Mozambique

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)

Number of POCUS-trained providers deployed in Mozambique50

1 provider250500 providers

Scans per Year

30,000

pregnant women screened

High-Risk Detected

4,500

flagged for referral / intervention

Maternal Deaths Prevented

22

mothers saved per year

Newborn Deaths Prevented

54

babies saved per year

Total Lives Saved Per Year

76deaths prevented

1.5

lives per provider

$326

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 Mozambique

🗺️ Deployment Roadmap for Mozambique

Baseline assessment — map existing facilities, referral pathways, blood supply, and available midwives, nurses, and physicians who could be trained.
Provider training — enrol local champions in GUSI's OB POCUS Essentials + Pediatric POCUS courses. Certify a core group to train others.
Device procurement — select appropriate portable handheld devices based on power infrastructure, connectivity, and budget (see brands below).
Protocols & referral integration — define what to scan, what findings trigger referral, and how to document scans at the point of care.
Quality assurance — regular image review sessions, outcomes tracking, and refresher training to maintain competency.

📡 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 Mozambique

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.