Recent estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank showed that the maternal mortality ratio in Cameroon increased slightly between 1990 and 2010 from 670 to 690 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births and the estimate obtained in the last Demographic Health Survey (DHS 2011) was 782 per 100 000 births.[1, 2] Skilled birth attendance also stagnated at 64% between 1991 and 2011 although attendance for at least one antenatal care visit was already high in 1991 at 79% and reached 85% in 2011.[2, 3]

In 2010, Cameroon adopted the Campaign on the Accelerated, the Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) as its strategic plan. This guided the actions for the 2011–13 period among which ‘audits of maternal deaths’ both at facility level and in the community were mentioned as a means to assess and improve case management.

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) works with national Membership Associations to improve policies and practices in reproductive, maternal and neonatal health. One of its projects, called LOGIC (Leadership in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for Impact and Change), focuses on strengthening the capacity of Membership Associations to conduct maternal death reviews (MDR). Cameroon is one of the eight focus countries benefiting from FIGO support. The Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of Cameroon (SOGOC) leads the implementation in Cameroon.