Informal Meeting on provision of home-based care to mother and child in the first week after birth

In 2009, WHO and UNICEF issued a Joint Statement recommending home visits for care of the newborn infant in the first week of life. Three years later, 30 out of the 58 countries of Africa and Asia have a policy on postnatal home visits. The meeting report documents the implementation of these home visitation programmes and the context of postnatal care in which home visits occur. Over 60 participants from countries in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa identified ways for increasing coverage of this effective intervention that will guide policy makers and managers of maternal and child health programmes.