Over the last two decades, prenatal care has improved maternal and newborn health in Rwanda, preventing conditions such as maternal anemia and mother-to-child HIV transmission, health experts say. Prenatal care or antenatal care is the support provided by skilled health professionals to pregnant women to ensure the health of both mother and baby. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a minimum of eight contacts with a healthcare provider throughout a pregnancy for a positive experience, with specific timing suggestions for visits across the trimesters. ALSO READ: Life-saving surgeries made locally accessible in two years Procedures once only available abroad, such as fetal blood transfusions and kidney transplants, are now performed in Rwandan hospitals, enabling high-risk pregnancies identified during antenatal visits to be treated locally for both mothers and babies. ALSO READ: A first in Rwanda as doctors treat unborn baby with anaemia Dr. Aline Uwimana, Division Manager of the Maternal, Child, and Community Health Division at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), explained that prenatal care enables the early detection of at-risk mothers, who are then referred to hospitals for timely follow-up and delivery planning. “Through health education during prenatal care, facility deliveries increased from 27 percent in 2000, according to the Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey, to 98 percent in June this year by skilled health professionals, according to the Maternal, Child and Community Health annual report for the fiscal year 2024/2025,” she said. Dr Uwimana noted that this progress has contributed to a reduction in maternal mortality, from 1,071 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 105 per 100,000 in 2023, and a drop in neonatal mortality (death of live-born infants) from 44 deaths per 1,000 live births to 11.8 per 1,000 over the same period. She said that enhancing early detection of high-risk pregnancies, tracking them through a digital system, and actively following up from the community to the tertiary levels could further decrease maternal and neonatal deaths. By the end of the fiscal year 2024/2025 in June, 96 percent of women attended at least one antenatal care visit, 58 percent started in the first trimester, and 52 percent completed at least four prenatal visits, according to the Maternal, Child and Community Health annual report. Dr. Stephen Rulisa, an obstetrician and gynecologist at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), said that antenatal care helps screen for high blood pressure, diabetes, and anemia, allowing for early management to protect both the mother and the baby. “Low awareness, late start, or incomplete visits put both mothers and their babies at risk. Care does not end with delivery. Practical help with household tasks and infant care, emotional reassurance, and guidance on newborn care are all important. Without this, mothers may struggle with recovery and mental health, which can affect the child’s well-being too,” he said.
