A comparison between health centre deliveries and deliveries born before arrival in the Aitape district.

In this survey the obstetric and neonatal data of the admissions to the Obstetric Ward in Raihu Health Centre during 1990, 1991 and the first half of 1992 were analyzed. The emphasis of the survey was on the difference between deliveries born before arrival (BBA) (24%) and health centre (HC) deliveries (76%). The survey shows that there were differences in postnatal complications, postpartum haemorrhage (16% vs 4.3%), retained placenta (21% vs 1.3%) and puerperal sepsis (18% vs 4.3%), and in antenatal attendance (52% vs 90%), average bedstay (6.5 days vs 5.4 days), mean haemoglobin level (7.78 vs 8.77 g/dl) and gonorrhoea (17% vs 8%). For the neonatal data the survey shows differences in stillbirth rate (10.5% vs 2.3%), perinatal death in the first week (4.0% vs 2.5%) and mean birthweight (for male infants 2.75 kg vs 2.88 kg and female infants 2.60 kg vs 2.73 kg).