Qacha’s Nek, April 20 — A Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) mentor at the District Health Management Team (DHMT), Mrs. ‘Masenate Makhasane-Ramone, has raised concern over a spike in maternal deaths recorded in Qacha’s Nek within a short period.
The district recorded three maternal deaths in March 2026 involving women in their mid-thirties, while another death was reported in December 2025. Two of the women died due to pregnancy-related complications, one died during delivery and the other after delivery.
Speaking to the Agency, Mrs. Makhasane-Ramone described the development as alarming, noting that the district had gone for years without recording such cases.
“This is unusual for the district after so many years without maternal deaths. The situation has discouraged midwives, prompting the SRHR team to seek external intervention from the Ministry of Health headquarters, UNICEF, UNFPA and LeBoHA following a district review to determine what went wrong,” she said.
She said the team advised the district to conduct post-mortems in future to establish the exact causes of death. She added that Christian Counselling and Life (CCL) also held a prayer service for nurses following the incidents.
Mrs. Makhasane-Ramone appealed to women to begin Antenatal Care (ANC) immediately after suspecting pregnancy, stressing that early attendance allows timely medical interventions.
She explained that medication given at the early stages of pregnancy helps control conditions such as high blood pressure, among others.
“It becomes difficult for medication to work when the condition has already escalated,” she said.
She further urged expectant mothers to attend scheduled hospital appointments and avoid shifting to clinics without referral from the hospital.
“This delays their access to appropriate care and timely assistance,” she said.
Data from the Investment Case for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health shows that maternal mortality remains high in Lesotho, with about 530 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to the Sustainable Development Goal target of less than 70 per 100,000 live births.
The data also indicates that maternal deaths are commonly linked to complications such as high blood pressure, severe anaemia, haemorrhage, sepsis and delivery-related emergencies, highlighting the importance of early detection and timely referral.
The deaths have left the district confronting urgent questions about maternal survival and the capacity of the health system to prevent similar cases in the future.
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