Fighting the decline of women's and children's health in South Africa
Armed with evidence, the Ekurhuleni Clinical Research Centre is fighting to reduce maternal and infant mortality
JBI's newest Collaborating Entity, The Ekurhuleni Clinical Research Centre: A JBI Affiliated Group, prioritises maternal, foetal, and women's and children's health. Their efforts will work against the global tide of maternal and foetal mortality.
According to a recent World Health Organization report, maternal deaths have either increased, or the decrease has stalled in most regions of the world over the past five years. This is despite maternal deaths being largely preventable with quality healthcare. Against this trend, the maternal mortality ratio has declined slightly over the past five years in South Africa, according to estimates by the Maternal Mortality Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG): WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division.
The Ekurhuleni Clinical Research Centre aims to continue to make significant progress in the reduction of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, and is looking to further improve maternal and child health services.
The focus of the Centre is on evidence implementation for the improvement of patient care, as well as maternal and child health outcomes. The Centre will work with health facilities and clinical partners, introducing a culture of evidence-based healthcare and excellence.
Further to this, the Ekurhuleni Clinical Research Centre aims to develop a knowledge-based exchange platform for maternal, foetal, newborn children and women’s health at all levels of care. This knowledge platform will be used by district clinical specialist team members and other health professionals, managers, policy makers, researchers and community for the exchange of information and knowledge, and eventually to translate that knowledge for developing evidence-based guidelines, protocols, recommendations and standards for quality clinical care.
The Centre is based in Ekurhuleni, one of the metropolitan districts situated in the densely populated Gauteng Province in South Africa. The name Ekurhuleni means ‘place of peace’ in Xitsonga. The City of Ekurhuleni has about 4 million people, with a population density of 1600/km2. Ekurhuleni is one of the five regions that form the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health, and the new JBI Affiliated Group collaborates with the University of Pretoria Research Centre for Maternal, Fetal, Newborn and Child Health Care Strategies.
The Ekurhuleni Clinical Research Centre is led by Dr Jayati Kusari (Convenor) and Professor Ute Feucht (Deputy Convenor), under the guidance of Mr Terrance Magoro (Ekurhuleni District Chief Director/Chair, Ekurhuleni, Advisory Board).
We look forward to hearing about the significant impact that Dr Kusari and the team will have on the health of women, mothers and children in the City of Ekurhuleni and beyond.
To learn more about our newest JBI Collaborating Entity in South Africa, visit their webpage.