Using Data to Save Mothers and Babies in Mchinji District

A few months ago I travelled to Mchinji district, in central Malawi, along with several other team members to join the District Executive Committee for their monthly meeting.  This meeting was called by Chelmsford Gondwe, the Safe Motherhood Coordinator for Mchinji District.  Chelms is a MamaYe activist (and maternal and newborn health rockstar)!  Not only does he work tirelessly for the mothers and babies in Mchinji District, but he also shares evidence to help ensure they are considered in district plans.Why will sharing a bunch of data make a difference in the survival of mothers and babies?MamaYe through our activists and partners like Chelms is working to share and to strengthen the way decisions are made.  Local evidence will help district decision makers, like those at the District Executive Council meetings, make decisions for mothers and babies based on what is actually happening in their communities and what women and babies need to survive and thrive.The Mchinji Dashboard Facts Presented:

• 2 mothers in Mchinji die every month on average due to pregnancy and childbirth-related causes.  
• Since 2010 there have been 77 maternal deaths in Mchinji district.  This is 77 deaths too many.
• In Mchinji, the demand for blood per month is approximately 150 pints.  In Malawi we know that much of this blood is to be used for mothers and babies (66% nationally)[i].
• Half of women who died during pregnancy or childbirth in Mchinji died because of loss of blood
• A lack of blood was a contributing factor within 1 in 5 maternal deaths – as no blood was available during these emergencies. 

When it came time for questions, there was no shortage!  Does the hospital have the space and ability to store donated blood?The response given by the lab technician from Mchinji District Hospital cleared up any misgivings, with a simple answer: ‘Yes, we have the space.  It currently sits empty’. Members called others to action: ‘We are here for action…as a district…what is it that we can do?  We are from different sectors…what is it as a district that we can do?’– Thom Mchipa, Deputy District Environment Officer ‘We need to think differently from what we’ve done in the past, because it has failed us…’– Beatwell Zadutsa, PACHI, Pneumonia Study Coordinator‘Mchinji has enough blood for Mchinji’– Lumbani Banda, District Coordinator for Evidence for Action - MamaYe ‘We have to donate’ was heard around the room.  Members of the DEC were questioning where the transfusion services were at that very moment!  Although this would be a step in the right direction, bringing these findings and the importance of the messages to their communities, constituencies and other organisations was a key aim of the meeting.What did the Mchinji District Leaders commit?The leaders used data and evidence to understand the issue and to develop a way forward.  This included developing a committee made of district leaders from all different sectors to champion and work on issues of maternal health and blood.  A powerful action in the right direction!What has happened since this meeting? LOTS!Since these meetings, exciting achievements and progress in blood donation in Mchinji District and through using evidence have been made!

• Village blood donation is possible and is working, and lessons from Mchinji and Balaka are being shared across the country.
• Malawians are taking action and donating blood to save mothers and babies.
• Sharing evidence for action is working, and MamaYe plans to continue to update and share findings from the Mchinji data dashboard.

MamaYe teams and activists like Chelms are bringing evidence to decision makers across the six MamaYe districts (Balaka, Ntcheu, Kasungu, Mchinji, Ntchisi and Mangochi).  Many of these decision makers are learning about these key issues in maternal and newborn health in their districts and seeing this data for the first time.  They are being asked what they will do to tackle and overcome these issues. The Mchinji dashboard is available to download here. For more information on blood availability in Malawi, please download the factsheet here.[i] M’baya, B., Mfune, T., Ndhlovu, D., Mphalalo, A., Magombo, E., Ndileke, M.,…Kalombola, S. (2009). Report of the Situational Analysis of Blood Safety in Malawi 2007. Blantyre, Malawi: Malawi Blood Transfusion Service.