• Guinea-Bissau launches first national maternal health guidelines
• Aims to cut maternal deaths from 500 to below 70 per 100,000
• WHO-backed plan targets better care, staffing, and health access

Guinea-Bissau has launched its first national guidelines for maternal health with a focus on improving care before, during, and after childbirth.

According to a press release from the World Health Organization (WHO) published Monday, September 8, 2025, the joint initiative with the Ministry of Health and its partners aims to regulate maternal healthcare services. The document sets standard clinical procedures and key indicators for evaluating the quality of maternal care.

This framework is designed to help the country achieve its development goals by reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and moving toward universal access to quality healthcare. It aims to lower the maternal mortality rate, currently estimated at nearly 500 deaths per 100,000 live births, to a threshold of 70 deaths or fewer.

"By setting clear health standards and strengthening services, Guinea-Bissau is working to lower the number of maternal deaths and improving life expectancy across the population," said Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, the acting WHO country representative.

In Guinea-Bissau, 81% of pregnant women do not complete the eight prenatal consultations recommended by the WHO to ensure the health of both mother and newborn. In addition, only about half of all births are attended by a skilled health professional.

The country also faces a widespread lack of human resources across all areas of reproductive health, with insufficient numbers of gynecologists, obstetricians, and midwives.

In its 2023-2028 National Health Development Plan, the West African nation aims to reduce maternal, neonatal, and infant mortality, as well as control and eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases. The plan also includes policies to expand and integrate reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health services throughout the country.

Lydie Mobio