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Although most pregnancies and births are uneventful, approximately 15% of all pregnant women develop a potentially life-threatening complication that calls for skilled care and some will require a major obstetrical intervention to survive. The main causes of maternal death and disability are complications arising from hemorrhage, unsafe abortion, eclampsia, sepsis and obstructed labor. This training course is, therefore, designed to train doctors, midwives and/or nurses with midwifery skills who, as team members, will provide selected anesthesia services for comprehensive and emergency obstetric care (EmOC) at district hospitals to avert maternal death and disability.

The emphasis in this course is on rapid assessment and decision-making and clinical action steps based on clinical assessment with limited reliance on laboratory or other tests, suitable for district hospital and health centers in low-resource settings. In addition, throughout the training course emphasis is placed on recognition of and respect for the right of women to life, health, privacy, and dignity. Finally, the setting up and effective day-to-day management of EmOC anesthesia services at district hospitals are included as an integral part of the course.