Government Health Data “Statistically Flawed” – Dr. Barrow

By: Seringe ST Touray

Claims by The Gambia’s Health Minister, Dr Ahmad Lamin Samateh, that pregnancy-related deaths have fallen by more than 50 percent are facing scrutiny after a United States-based Gambian epidemiologist challenged the figures in comments reported by The Alkamba Times.

Dr Amadou Barrow raised concerns about statistics the minister presented to the National Assembly based on District Health Information System (DHIS-2) facility data. The minister said there were 130 maternal deaths out of 80,720 live births in 2025, giving a maternal mortality ratio of 129 per 100,000 births.

However, Barrow said recalculating the same figures using the standard formula produces a ratio of about 161 per 100,000, a difference of roughly 25 percent. He also argued the decline from 2023 levels is closer to about 21 percent rather than the more than 50 percent reduction claimed. He added that facility-based statistics exclude home births and community deaths and therefore cannot be directly compared with international estimates.

Barrow is an epidemiologist and doctoral researcher at the University of Florida, where he also works as a graduate research assistant. His work focuses on infectious disease epidemiology, maternal and child health, and data-driven public health analysis, including research on HIV care engagement and reproductive health in resource-limited settings. He holds several postgraduate public health degrees, including an MPH, MSc, and MSPH, and has published research on reproductive health in The Gambia.