KERR FATOU

The Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, has informed the National Assembly that The Gambia recorded 30 maternal deaths in 2025, according to updated national health statistics.

Responding to a question from the National Assembly Member for Banjul Central during Wednesday’s parliamentary sitting, Dr. Samateh provided revised maternal mortality figures generated through the country’s health information management system.

“The correct maternal mortality statistics for 2025 indicate a total number of maternal deaths of 30, with 80,720 live births recorded,” the minister told lawmakers.

He further outlined the institutional and national maternal mortality ratios, explaining that the figures are derived from both health facility and community-level data.

“The institutional maternal mortality ratio stands at 128.8 per 100,000 live births, while the total maternal mortality ratio is 116.1 per 100,000 live births,” he said.

Dr. Samateh noted that the statistics are generated through the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), a digital platform that automatically processes and tracks health data to enhance accuracy and minimize reporting errors.

“The DHIS2 platform automatically calculates and tracks maternal mortality statistics,” he explained.

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