VMDR Data: Maternal Death Reviews in Tanzania, 2022-2023

From 2022 to 2023, 369 Virtual Maternal Death Review (VMDR) sessions were conducted, analyzing 687 maternal deaths across all regions of Tanzania. The dataset, created by Ahmad Mohamed Makuwani and shared on figshare, includes quantitative summaries and qualitative insights on causes of death and contributing factors. It was last updated on March 18, 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze leading causes of maternal mortality based on reported categories like obstetric haemorrhage and hypertensive disorders.
• Identify systemic healthcare gaps based on reported contributing factors like clinical competency and leadership.
• Evaluate the implementation of a virtual review model for maternal death surveillance and response.
• Study the distribution of remedial actions prompted by death reviews, such as specialist redeployment and supply improvements.

Strengths

• Includes data on 687 reviewed maternal deaths, providing a substantive case count.
• Covers a defined two-year period (2022-2023) with a clear temporal scope.
• Specific quantitative findings are reported, such as obstetric haemorrhage accounting for 49% of deaths.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is very small (13.5 KB), indicating limited scope or highly summarized data.
• Data may reflect geographic and systemic bias inherent to the Tanzanian healthcare context.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Health, Tanzania; data notified through the national MPDSR system.

Collection Method

Descriptive observational study using a mixed-methods approach on cases selected for VMDR.

Time Range

January 2022 to December 2023

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 17:34:36; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Tanzania (all regions)