Midwives in training attended a course on the Perinatal Information System (SIP) on Thursday, October 8. This system helps register and analyse health data on pregnancy, childbirth and the period after birth. The training is part of the further implementation of the SIP in Suriname.
The Centrale Opleiding van Verloskundigen Suriname (COVS) organised the meeting together with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Ministry of Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Arbeid (VWA; Public Health, Welfare and Labour). Students from Sint Vincentius Ziekenhuis, Diakonessenhuis and Mungra Medisch Centrum took part.
The participants received an explanation of how the system works and how it is applied. Central to this was the importance of correct, complete and uniform registration of data on mothers and newborns.
Edmond Gue, adviser to the Immunisation Programme at PAHO/WHO, opened the meeting with an introduction to the subject. VWA director Rakesh Gajadhar Sukul then stressed that reliable health data are needed to monitor and improve the quality of care.
The substantive presentation was delivered by Soenita Nannan Panday, medical director of ’s Lands Hospitaal and chair of the working group for the implementation of the SIP, and Mariana Gonzales. They discussed, among other things, how the system is used to record, monitor and analyse data on pregnancy, childbirth and the health of mother and child.
With these data, healthcare providers and policymakers can monitor developments in maternal and child healthcare and identify areas requiring attention. They can also use the information to evaluate healthcare provision and support decision-making.
By allowing students to work with the SIP during their training, the organisations aim to prepare them for its use in practice. The training is therefore intended to contribute to better information provision within maternal and child healthcare in Suriname.
