Maternal health

By Kathy Herschderfer
Development, Policy and Practice (DEV), Royal Tropical Institute

KIT aims to contribute to the reduction of maternal mortality in several ways. It is involved in a number of projects and programmes where maternal health is being considered in a comprehensive way, respecting the local context with special attention for the health system. Here follow some examples of KIT’s involvement in the field of maternal health.

In Sierra Leone, in a project of the MDG5 Meshwork for Improving Maternal Health, KIT supports the development of a well functioning joint knowledge system for monitoring, evaluation and research by public and private partners, and is directly engaged with a study of evidence-based interventions in reproductive and child health. In the Meshwork’s project in Afghanistan, KIT devolves a study on the cultural social dimensions of maternal mortality.
KIT is also involved in research in the field of maternal health, for example in the Health Policy Making in Vietnam, India and China (HEPVIC) project, aiming to enhance health policy processes in developing countries through a comparative study of the three Asian countries. The overall goal of this EC-funded research project is to enhance and promote the use of evidence and integrated approaches to health policy-making and implementation in low-income countries, using maternal health as a case-study.
 
Support to Yemen's maternal and newborn health programme
The health of women and newborns is a major concern in Yemen, with maternal deaths the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age. It is unlikely that the Millennium Development Goal for improving maternal health (MDG 5) will be reached by 2015. The goal of Yemen's Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) Programme is to contribute to reducing maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality through a sustained increase in the use of quality midwifery, obstetric and family planning services, especially by poor and marginalised women in the Governorates of Taiz, Ibb, Lahej, Aldhale and Amran. KIT is providing managerial, technical and coordination support to Yemen's Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) Programme, executed by the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MOPHP) in five Governorates.