MBABANE – A new health initiative is set to close the information gap on deaths occurring outside hospitals across Eswatini.
The Ministry of Health, alongside other government departments and stakeholders, on Wednesday unveiled the Verbal Autopsy for Enhanced Mortality Data Collection and Reporting Project. The launch took place in Mbabane, with the Minister for Health, Mduduzi Matsebula, represented by Director of Health Services Dr. Velephi Okello.
The project is designed to gather detailed information on deaths that take place in communities, particularly where no medical certification is provided. According to the ministry, nearly half of all deaths registered in 2023 occurred outside health facilities. 
“Out of 6,211 deaths recorded last year, 2,930 took place in community settings without medical personnel present,” said the minister in a prepared statement.
Officials say the lack of reliable data from rural and peri-urban areas undermines national health planning, especially in responding to changing disease patterns and improving access to life-saving interventions.
Through the verbal autopsy process, trained personnel will visit bereaved families to conduct structured interviews about symptoms and circumstances leading up to the deaths. The information gathered will help determine probable causes and feed into national statistics.
