Project Lead(s): Nohemie Mawaka
Issue
Maternal and child mortality continues to plague many low-income nations.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) still displays high maternal and child mortality rates, with 6% of global under-five mortality occurring in DRC.
These rates are further complicated by prevalent underreporting from hospitals due to a lack of adequate data storage and collection. Currently, there are no available estimates and standards of data measurement for capturing MNCH data in Congolese health facilities.
Solution
‘STATSCONGO’ collaborated with the PANZI Hospital in Bukavu to develop the first national database specifically for MNCH in Congo.
The project sought to measure and analyze health data for mothers who enter the health system, with the aim of identifying health indicators that predict MNCH outcomes.
At PANZI hospital, STATSCONGO focused on the pre/postnatal and childbearing departments.
Older paper records and new electronic records were collated into the online database.
Data visualization techniques were applied in order to illustrate MNCH trends and the experiences of women in the healthcare system.
Outcome
Observational data was collected for over 1,300 women who have sought care at PANZI hospital.
Due to the high volume of paper-based records at, digitization of paper files has taken longer than expected.
Currently, data collection and visualization is ongoing as the database continues to accumulate information.
STATSCONGO has expanded their project to 2 more hospitals in the capital city of Kinshasa.