PHA-Exch> Maternal Health Global Report

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC) <ruglucia at paho.org>
crossposted from: EQUIDAD at listserv.paho.org

 *Maternal Health*

*Fifth Report of Session 2007–08 Volume I*



*UK** House of Commons -International Development Committee*

*Published on 2 March 2008 by authority of the House of Commons London: The
Stationery Office *

* *

Available online as PDF file [ 75p.] at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmintdev/66/66i.pdf



"….Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG 5), which seeks to reduce by
three-quarters the level of maternal mortality by 2015, has seen the least
progress of all the MDGs. A key factor in this collective failure has been
insufficient political will to drive actions to improve the health of women,
both at the international and national levels.



The Department for International Development (DFID) has been a leading donor
to maternal health programmes. It deserves credit for its creation of
international

partnerships, its willingness to address sensitive issues such as abortion,
its support to research and its consistent focus on strengthening health
systems.

Major challenges remain. Only two in five women in sub-Saharan Africa
deliver their babies with the assistance of a skilled attendant and this is
largely unchanged since the early 1990s. Addressing the huge shortage of
midwives worldwide and increasing the availability of emergency obstetric
care to all women has been and must remain at the centre of DFID's approach.
Increasing access to basic drugs and equipment—including family planning
supplies—is also vital.



It is also crucial to address the gender inequalities that prevent women
fulfilling their right to health. Improvements to health information systems
in developing countries need the continuing support of DFID so that policies
and programmes can be evidence-based and progress towards MDG 5 can be
tracked reliably.

Lack of data from countries with some of the worst death tolls, a tendency
to under-report maternal deaths and the use of national averages create
uncertainty about the real scale of maternal mortality, particularly in
sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Whilst the number of maternal deaths for 2005
is cited as 536,000, it could be as high as 872,000. We fear that the higher
figure could indeed be nearer the truth. It has also been estimated that for
each woman who dies, 30 further women will become disabled, injured or ill
owing to pregnancy, so it is reasonable to assume that millions of women
suffer in some way due to childbirth.



Inequalities in access to maternal care are driven primarily by poverty.
DFID should continue to support the abolition of charges for health care and
help governments to identify and address the major barriers to care,
especially for the poorest women and in conflict settings where demand for
maternal care is higher and access more difficult.



DFID cannot single-handedly bring about the progress needed to reach MDG 5.
It needs to step back and prioritise carefully in order to maximise the
series of crucial opportunities offered in 2008. The Department must play to
its strengths and support other actors, especially the UN, in playing their
part. Only then will maternal health receive the urgent political commitment
that it deserves….."



*Report ***

*Summary *

*Background and acknowledgements *

*1 Introduction *

The global maternal mortality burden

DFID's response

The key bottleneck: a failure of advocacy and political will

*2 More than a medical problem: maternal health as a development issue *

Addressing gender inequalities

Girls' and women's education

Gender-based violence

Socio-economic empowerment

Other demand-side barriers

Transport

Strengthening civil society's capacity to hold governments to account and
influence policy

Ensuring pro-poor health financing

A rights-based approach

Unsafe abortion

*3 Securing political will: global strategies for maternal health *

The UN: challenges and opportunities in its current approach

Other major global initiatives

The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

The Global Campaign for the Health MDGs

Seizing opportunities

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

The Japanese Presidency of the G8

The UK's role in stepping up advocacy

*4 Strategies for success *

What works in preventing maternal deaths

The example of Nepal

What works in strengthening health systems

Boosting human resources

Increasing the availability of equipment and supplies

Balancing the demand and supply-side of care

Working in conflict-affected and fragile states

The need for improved health information systems to monitor progress

*5 The challenge for DFID *

DFID's current mix of aid instruments and policies

Financing strategies

Budget support and maternal health

DFID's human resource capacity

Managing expectations of DFID's work and aid harmonisation

DFID's comparative advantage

Re-appraising priorities

*6 Conclusion *

*Recommendations *

*List of written evidence *

*List of unprinted written evidence*

* *
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20080327/82532289/attachment-0001.html>