Working together to advance strategy for maternal death prevention in Canada

Dr. Rohan D’Souza recently took part in a panel discussion hosted by the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW), alongside Dr. Joceyln Cook (Chief Scientific Officer, Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists of Canada) and Dr. Jon Barrett (Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster).

CFUW is a non-partisan, voluntary, self-funded organization with 98 Clubs located in every province across Canada. Since its founding in 1919, CFUW has been working to improve the status of women and promote human rights, public education, social justice and peace.

Over 60 members attended the virtual discussion, which was held as part of the CFUW’s ongoing commitment to advancing their 2023 resolution titled, Towards a Comprehensive Maternal Death Prevention Strategy.

Cathy McPherson, President of CFUW – Hamilton, led the proposal of the resolution, which urges the federal government to work with Canada’s provinces and territories to establish a national system to collect and share data on maternal deaths and close calls with health care providers.

“Last year, we brought forward this resolution at our annual national general meeting, where we received overwhelming support from our Clubs across Canada,” she says.

“Drs. D’Souza, Cook and Barrett provided their expertise and guidance in the preparation of the resolution. This panel discussion gave our members a chance to meet them, learn more about the importance of this initiative and ask questions.”

Dr. D’Souza says that consistent, nation-wide collection of data related to severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and mortality can help healthcare practitioners better understand why these events occur, which is the first step towards preventing negative pregnancy events.

“We had an engaging conversation with CFUW – Hamilton’s members. We’re looking forward to working collaboratively to advance their resolution and develop a national obstetric survey system that better serves healthcare providers, patients and their families,” he says.

McPherson says the resolution harkens to the work of Elizabeth Bagshaw – a former CFUW member and head of Canada’s first family planning centre, founded in Hamilton in 1932.

“Pregnancy health and well-being is a shared concern amongst our members. Losing a mother often has a ripple effect not only on families, but on whole communities. We’re proud to take part in this resolution and eager to collaborate on initiatives that aim to improve women’s health care,” she says.

“We imagine that Dr. Bagshaw would be cheering on this resolution today.”