It is well established that giving birth in a medical institution under the care and supervision of trained health-care providers promotes survival of infants and reduces the risk of maternal mortality.  As a result, more mothers are now opting to give birth in institutions. Since 1995, our publications have been attested to this fact, births outside of institutions has moved from a high of 15.1% in 1995 to a record low of 1.9% in 2004. 

As shown in table 5, of the 42,448 live births occurring, 39,451 or 92.9% occurred in public institutions, 2,187 or 5.2% in private institution.  Together institutional deliveries totalled 41,638 or 98.1% and out of institutions 810 or 1.9%.  When compared to 2003, institutional deliveries have increased by 2.5%.

The number of qualified attendants, which include medical doctors, nurses or midwives, present at deliveries has been on the increase.  The year 2004, saw doctors accounting for 8,679 or 20.4%; registered midwives 33,239 or 78.3%; together both groups attended to 98.7% of live births unqualified attendants 489 or 1.2% Births; and persons of unknown qualification 41 or 0.01%.

Of key interest, doctors at delivery increased by 2.3% over 2003. Since our 1995 publication Doctors attending deliveries have been increasing by a maximum of 2% creating a shift in some of the live births deliveries to doctors.  As a result there has been a total increase of 10.8% in doctors attending deliveries from 9.6% in 1995 to 20.4% in 2004.