Pregnant Women Get ‘Mama Kits’

Nigeria HNN Team

In an effort to reduce maternal mortality in the country, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has provided “mama kits’ for pregnant women to encourage ante-natal attendance.

United States’s $ 55 million program promotes healthy mothers and newborns in six Indonesian provinces

Indonesia

The initiative is part of the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership, a commitment by US President Barack Obama and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to increase cooperation between the United States and Indonesia.

Day of Birth Alliance Focuses on Saving Lives of Mothers, Newborns With New Tools, Technologies for Health Care Workers

HNN Team

It’s a daunting challenge, but the founding partners of Day of Birth Alliance say helping frontline health workers provide integrated care for mothers and babies during labor, at birth and after can make the difference.

Scheme aims to reduce neonatal death rate

India

 For the first time ever, India has decided to roll out a newborn care scheme that will ensure Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) visit the homes of new mothers six times in 42 days to encourage safe practices and early detection and free referral of sick babies.

“Helping Babies Breathe” Awarded USAID’s Excellence Award

USAID’s 2011 Global Development Alliance Excellence Award presented to “Helping Babies Breathe (HBB)

Newborn deaths reduce by 1.3 million in two decades but will take Africa 150 years to reach US/UK newborn survival levels – Study

Angola, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Sierra Leone

The first week of life is considered as the riskiest week for newborns but yet many countries are only just beginning postnatal care programmes to reach mothers and babies at this critical time

Innovating to improve women’s and children’s health

India

For less than $100, poor, pregnant women in India can now give birth in a private hospital focusing on low-income families, with comparable quality to expensive, private ones. This is an alternative to overcrowded, poorly staffed government-funded hospitals

Newest Screen for Newborns will indicate heart problems

About 1 in every 120 babies are born with congenital heart disease (CHD), of which about 25 percent is critical, requiring special care early in life. 

Health Personnel trained on newborn screening for sickle cell disease

Ghana

The Sickle Cell Foundation (SCF) has embarked on a training workshop for health personnel to adequately equip them for the nationwide newborn sickle cell screening scheduled to start early next year

Uganda: Too Many Deaths in Childbirth

Uganda

 Bribes, poorly trained medical staff and the lack of medical care for pregnant HIV-positive mothers are among the reasons for high rates of infant and maternal mortality in Uganda. NGOs want to see more government action.