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If we could do only one thing to improve reproductive, maternal and newborn health outcomes, what should it be and why?
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Our thanks for all the comments submitted. All of the ideas and suggestions put forward will feed into our new policy, helping to shape the direction of our work.
Once the final policy document is released you will be able to find it at www.dfid.gov.uk
Educate the rest of the donor community to recognise that effective RH programmes, stabilising populations, are in the long-term a uniquely essential pre-condition for the success of all other programmes.
“People perish because they lack knowledge” In my opinion, society should be showered with the knowledge they need to live well. Am a nutritionist, I have learnt the correct food to eat to nourish my body and soul infact. I have learnt what it means to be clean body in and out. I have learnt what it means to take care of stress avoidable and unavoidable. I have learnt what sunshine does to my health. I have learnt what pure air and excercise means. Before acquiring this knowledge I sick and helpless. I have not been sick since I got to know. General knowledge on NUTRITION AND HYGINE will go along way to solve our concern on REPRODUCTIVE, MARTERNAL and NEWBORN HEALTH OUTCOMES. Donars try to identfy the right Groups to take care of people’ concerns
Thenk you.
increase sensitization programs in many communities where this problem is and many people are affected and improve in your funding.
One area where DFID could make a real impact is in the area of female genital cutting. Few other countries are looking at this issue. The impacts and scale of FGC is staggering with 3m girls at risk in Africa alone each year. It also impacts reproductive, maternal and newborn health.
WHO research (2006) showed that FGM/C increases by 50% the likelihood that either a woman or her child will die in childbirth, in addition to other negative health and psychological consequences. FGM is estimated to lead to an extra one to two perinatal deaths per 100 deliveries – which for a country like Ethiopia, with about 3m births a year, that translates roughly into 30,000-60,000 deaths caused by FGM/C complications in one year.
Some leadership is needed to shift this debate and ensure that we can meet the UN stated aim of ending FGC within the next generation. There are great projects at community level, but they need championing.
This is no longer an issue of cultural imperialism – this is community based support and empowerment, framed in a human rights debate, with wonderful, tangible outcomes.
DFID’s experience, leadership and resources would be best applied to tackling the global public health problem of unsafe abortion. Many other donors actively support the broader maternal health agenda, including family planning, but very few have the courage, vision or conviction to take on this critical, albeit controversial issue. The need for such leadership is much greater on this topic than on many others, and, by continuing and even strengthening its leadership, DFID stands to make an unparalleled contribution to alleviating the suffering of millions of women around the world.
If there is one thing that DFID could do to save the lives of women and newborns, that thing is to invest in the strengthening of the weak health systems in developing countries – in terms of having well-staffed and equipped health facilities able to handle obstetric emergencies closer to the poorest and marginalised communities.
Output based aid, providing vouchers ( services and transportation costs) for RH issues (safe motherhood, family planning, safe abortion and gender-based violence) to women to empower them and to force governments and individual providers to listen to them and provide quality care.
I appreciate what DFID is doing for several years especially in the area of maternal and child health including family planning. But the I appreciate what DFID is doing for several years especially in the area of maternal and child health including family planning. But the DFID needs to strengthen this area by investing in capacity building of grass root advocates and NGO leaders to generate demand for available services. We need to stock grass root and community health facilities with products that promote healthy women and health pregnancy among women of reproductive age including products that arrest postpartum bleeding. We need to strengthen collaboration with all stakeholders not only government, trained community health workers and fund grass root NGOs directly. These approaches will help in reducing the number of unintended pregnancies ,increasing availability of and access to contraception (the contraceptive prevalence rate) ;reducing the unmet need for family planning ; and reducing the number of unsafe abortions thereby reducing maternal mortality especially in hard to reach communities.
I appreciate what DFID is doing for several years especially in the area of maternal and child health including family planning. But the DFID needs to strengthen this area by investing in capacity building of grass root advocates and NGO leaders to generate demand for available services. We need to stock grass root and community health facilities with products that promote healthy women and health pregnancy among women of reproductive age including products that arrest postpartum bleeding. We need to strengthen collaboration with all stakeholders not only government, trained community health workers and fund grass root NGOs directly. These approaches will help in reducing the number of unintended pregnancies ,increasing availability of and access to contraception (the contraceptive prevalence rate) ;reducing the unmet need for family planning ; and reducing the number of unsafe abortions thereby reducing maternal mortality especially in hard to reach communities.
Ensure comprehensive ante-natal and post-natal care after safe delivary
Make your objective life. No abortion, no contraception, no sterilization. Chastity, motherhood and family. Invest in real health services to promote life for the unborn and the mothers. Health service should mean just that: health, and not death service.
This an individual reply, representing the natural law, however despised it may be in certain quarters.
All life is unique and special and should be valued and treated as such by those in authority to make laws which affect these issues.
Life should be protected at all stages from conception until natural death.
Thankyou.
Make sure that women can access healthcare services – firstly by ensuring that they are available close to home (particularly for maternity care) and that relevantly-trained health extension workers are employed by the state. Secondly by ensuring that they are affordable, in particular through removing user fees which have a massive negative impact on women’s ability to access healthcare. 16 countries committed to extending the provision of free health care at the launch of the Global Health Strategy during the MDG Summit in September. It is crucial that donors provide both technical and financial support to help them to make this a reality.
Secondly, ensure that the major conditions that affect women and integrated into the strategy, key among them being HIV and TB. TB is the leading infectious killer of women and the third leading cause of mortality among women overall. Studies in India and Mexico have shown that women with TB are twice as likely to give birth to low-birth-weight or premature babies, and four times more likely to die in childbirth. TB and HIV are both maternal health issues and the strategy must deal with how women access TB and HIV diagnosis, treatment and care.
If DFID could do only one thing, Christian Medical Fellowship would urge you to invest in engagement with faith communities to change religious based attitudes that disempower and devalue the lives of women and girls. Along with this, increase access to primary level education for girls and young women. Any improvement in services or health infratstrcuture will be wasted if women are prevented from accessing services, and continue to be devalued and disempowered.
There is ample evidence that education and empowerment of women is the single most significant driver of development and health improvement, and that most of the drivers of this (for good and ill) come from faith communities in most developing nations. Ignore these two dimensions, and all else will be largely wasted.
This is an individual response.
Maternal and newborn health outcomes will not be improved by the provision of abortions, safe or otherwise. This is simply tackling the outward symptons without addressing the root cause.
DFID should use its resources and expertise in the field of education – health and moral education is greatly needed to empower parents to be responsible for and to care properly for their families.
And more practical education in the field of hygiene, nutrition, etc.
Responsible family planning is a far better alternative to the very negative approach of offering abortion. Promoting the delay of sexual activity until marriage will naturally reduce unwanted teenage pregnancies
This is an individual response.
Being created in the image of God, by God and for Him, the sanctity of life from conception to natural death should be pivotal. This is the foundation with which to build upon issues such as promotion of celibacy for the unmarried, promototion of marriage and family life.
Provide comprehensive access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services that includes Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Youth Friendly services, and Access to Safe Abortion services.
DFID can play an advocacy role to encourage the Government in implementing a sustainable health policy . In Bangladesh the health policies and programmes have been undergoing changes with the change of political parties in power (such as: merging and separating Health and Family Planning sectors frequently ; establishment, abolishment and reimplementation of Community Clinics by different parties). Merging the Health and Family Planning sectors had shrunk the activities of HPSP (Health and Population Sector Programme ) and SC (Satellite Clinics). SCs are temporary clinics arranged at a local leader’s house, or a school premise or under a big tree which provide mother-child health services including contraceptive devices fortnightly by rotation. Along with health facilities, eight satellite clinics have been designed to set up at each union. Bangladesh had achieved tremendous success in reducing fertility rate till 1998 but the rate increased markedly after squeezing the activities of SC clinics as women’s contraceptive needs have not been met. Since December 2002 most of the UHFWC (Union Health and Family Welfare Centre) squeezed their activities. We visited some UHFWCs at Charghat Upazila in January 2003 and found most of the centres were attended by a female peon. Women came from distance places had been waiting for hours and returned without receiving any treatment/contraceptive devices. Moreover, the Satellite Clinic services were stopped in most of the areas. All these situations contribute to increase fertility rate. This happens due to absence of a sustainable health policy. Strong political will and commitment from the Government as well as the Opposition Parties are needed to uphold the necessity of a sustainable health policy and continuation of its programmes irrespective of the party in power. DFID can work to motivate political parties and the Government to retain a sustainable health policy and continuum health programmes.
Education and nutrition not contraception and abortion. How cruel to say to a women you are poor so you cannot be allowed children. Care not killing.