Maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality are major public health concerns in most developing countries and in under resourced settings. WHO estimates that every year approximately 8 million women endure pregnancy-related complications and around half a million die as a result. Almost 9 million children die every year, of which 4 million newborn babies die within the first month of life. In addition, 3.3 million babies are born dead.
The evidence shows that high maternal, perinatal, neonatal and child mortality rates are associated with inadequate and poor quality health services. Evidence also suggests that explicit, evidence-based, cost effective packages of interventions can improve the processes and outcomes of health care when appropriately implemented.
This document describes the key effective interventions organized in packages across the continuum of care through pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, newborn care and care of the child. The packages are defined for community and/or facility levels in developing countries and provide guidance on the essential components needed to assure adequacy and quality of care.