Harare — A TOTAL of 364 women in Zimbabwe died due to avoidable pregnancy complications in 2006 alone, a recent study has revealed.

The study also attributed the deaths of 628 infants, during the same period, mainly to pre-term births.

However, the study, was quick to point out that the figures are not a true reflection of the actual figures on the ground saying there was 'gross under-reporting' of deaths at district level from community and at provincial levels from health facilities.

Loss of records as they move up the system from district to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare head office was also cited as hindrance during the process of gathering accurate information on both maternal and perinatal deaths.

The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in conjunction with United Nations agencies on maternal and perinatal mortality (2007) released the study results last week.

The report cited HIV and Aids, hypertension, haemorrhage (severe loss of blood), sepsis and malaria as the top five leading causes of deaths in Zimbabwe.

According to the study, 63 percent of deaths occurred just after delivery (postpartum), 24 percent during pregnancy (antenatal) and 16 percent during delivery (intrapatum). The study also revealed that most women who died delivered at home. "Effective interventions exist to treat these complications (haemorrhage, hypertension/eclampsia, sepsis and obstructed labour) and deaths from them are avoidable.

"Successful prevention and treatment of these complications represents the potential to reduce maternal deaths by 46 percent. None of the interventions are complex or beyond the capacity of a functioning health system in Zimbabwe," reads part of the report.

In relation to perinatal deaths, the study revealed that nearly half of them were caused by pre-term births.

The study also disclosed that during the same period 781 cases of still births were recorded throughout the country and were attributed to pre-term births.