Maternal Death Surveillance & Response System – Sri Lanka (MDSRS)
The Maternal Death Surveillance & Response System (MDSRS) in Sri Lanka is a nationwide surveillance system established in 1987 by the Family Health Bureau, Ministry of Health. The system monitors all maternal deaths across the country and is recognized as a continuous quality improvement process for maternal and newborn health services.
Mission statement
To systematically collect, analyze, and disseminate data on maternal deaths to identify preventable factors and promote strategies aimed at improving maternal and perinatal health outcomes in Sri Lanka.
Aims
- Implement nationwide maternal mortality surveillance through standardized data collection, analysis, and dissemination.
- Conduct verbal autopsy investigations at community level to determine medical and social factors contributing to maternal deaths.
- Carry out facility-based maternal death reviews with multidisciplinary participation to analyze clinical management and systemic factors.
- Perform national clinical audits to review quality of care against existing protocols, involving experts from multiple disciplines.
- Promote a no-name, no-blame, and total confidentiality approach to ensure an open and constructive review process.
- Use the three-delay model to analyze causes of death and assess preventability and unmet family planning needs.
- Disseminate findings to all stakeholders involved in maternal care to support policy decisions and clinical practice improvements.
Previous studies
- National Maternal Death Surveillance and Response: Sri Lankan scenario
- Investing in Maternal Health: Learning from Malaysia and Sri Lanka
- Maternal death review in selected countries of Southeast Asia Region
- A study on the implementation of maternal death review in Sri Lanka
- Contact: Karthikeyan Parimelalagapillai thirumagal@gmail.com
Website: Not available at this time.
