DILI, 09 April 2025 (TATOLI) – The Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV) registered 52 stillbirth cases in the first quarter of the year, the Head of Maternity Services, Zinia Mascarenhas, has said.
Mascarenhas said that the lack of medical follow-up during pregnancy, which includes prenatal care checkups, genetic testing, and lifestyle advice, is one of the main causes of the high number of stillbirths.
She said that during the first quarter of the year, 288 babies were born prematurely, with most of them weighing less than 2.5 kilograms.
A baby who dies after 28 weeks of pregnancy but before or during birth is classified as a stillbirth.
There are nearly 2 million stillbirths every year – one every 16 seconds. Over 40% of all stillbirths occur during labour – a loss that could be avoided with improved quality and respectful care during childbirth including routine monitoring and timely access to emergency obstetric care when required, according to WHO.
WHO said that experiencing a stillbirth during pregnancy or childbirth is a tragedy insufficiently addressed in global agendas, policies and funded programmes: “There are psychological costs, especially to women and their families, such as maternal depression, financial consequences and economic repercussions, as well as stigma and taboo.”
TATOLI
