Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva has emphasized that maternal health is not merely a clinical issue but a national development imperative, stressing that no country can claim meaningful progress while women continue to die during childbirth.
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He made the remarks on February 14 at the African Union’s 39th Ordinary Summit during a high-level side event titled "From Commitment to Impact: Accelerating Maternal Mortality Reduction in Africa.”
"No country can claim real progress if women continue to die while giving life. Maternal survival is one of the clearest measures of the strength of a health system, the effectiveness of public services, and the dignity with which a nation treats its citizens. In Rwanda, maternal health remains high on the political agenda,” he said.
Nsengiyumva noted that Rwanda’s progress reflects a decisive shift in leadership and data use, moving from periodic estimates to real-time, routine evidence.
"For many years, maternal mortality was mainly measured through surveys conducted every five years. These were important, but they could not guide rapid action. They did not show us, in real time, where deaths were happening, why they were happening, and what needed to change,” he said.
He informed his audience that Rwanda relies on routine national data and real-time digital systems that enable maternal death notification within 24 hours, followed by timely review and corrective action at facility, district, and national levels.
The system is supported by a growing digital health ecosystem that links community health workers, health posts, health centres, and hospitals under a clear vision of continuity of care, anchored in the principle of "one patient, one record.”
The Prime Minister emphasized that evidence now drives targeted interventions. Among the findings, he said, national analysis identified postpartum haemorrhage as the leading cause of maternal deaths, alongside major neonatal drivers such as prematurity and neonatal asphyxia.
"In response, Rwanda has strengthened postpartum haemorrhage management, expanded point-of-care ultrasound, improved supplementation, and reinforced postnatal follow-up,” he explained.
He added that the country has institutionalised Maternal Death Surveillance and Response, ensuring that every maternal death is reviewed and translated into practical system improvements linked to quality and performance.
"It requires political commitment, strong frontline services, quality emergency care, and continuous learning, supported by data, but driven above all by leadership and accountability,” he said.