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The ‘improvements to the mother and healthcare services in Uzbekistan’ programme sounds pretty self explanatory, but it’s much bigger than that.

It’s a far broader set of healthcare reforms, including a huge programme that will see nearly 10,000 health workers trained between October 2008 and December 2010.

The Government of Uzbekistan is leading implementation which is taking place across eight of Uzbekistan’s regions: Khashkadyria, Surkhandarya, Samarkand, Jizzak, Sirdarya, Namanagan, Andijon and Navoi.

A child’s check up at a Ferghana children’s clinic

The project budget is almost 6 million US$. The European Commission is providing 5.5 million US$ (3.5 million Euros) and UNICEF 450 thousand US$ (300 thousands Euro). UNICEF is providing technical assistance.

As a direct result more lives will be saved. Mothers and babies in both cities and some of the remotest villages will directly benefit from safe, secure and high quality care.

OUR MISSION

Is to save more lives and ensure high quality maternal and child care through:

• Improving the professional capacity of local health care managers
• Building, renovating and  running regional training centre’s for maternal and child health service providers
• Changing medical curricula in universities to reflect practical progress.
• Raising family and community awareness on the better care available for them.

CORE ELEMENTS

TRAINING

Training in newborn survival techniques at the Ferghana regional maternity centre

Building a team of highly qualified national trainers is vital. A total of 9,856 health workers are being trained across the 8 regions. They then spread their new knowledge and skills with colleagues. This ensures that the new practices are sustained, which ultimately saves more lives.

By changing their own practices they set an example; they encourage colleagues to accept changes and apply them themselves.

During training, the most suitable participants are selected to become national MCH trainers. Criteria for selection include qualifications, assessed competence and motivation to learn and share.

At the same time, the Ministry of Health is working to bring legislation fully into line with the latest guidelines and and is providing all necessary materials.

Monitoring and evaluation and improvement on all training activities is a major element in the second half of the project; between mid 2009 to the end of 2010.

TRAINING HEALTH MANAGERS is a core training element. Mid-level healthcare managers, including regional and district chief paediatricians, obstetricians, maternity managers and health department heads and chief nurses are receiving new competency-based training. MCH managers will improve their knowledge on;

• Better service provision;
• MCH monitoring skills,
• Best practice in Health Management Information Systems, and
• Adjusting services to better suit local settings.

BUILDING TRAINING FACILITIES

Five brand new and fully equipped training centre’s are being established in five regions and existing ones in Andijan, Namangan, Djizzak, Syrdarya, Samarkand regions are under renovation and being re-equipped.

The training centres established by the Project will serve as resource centres for practitioners in the long term.

THE NEWBORN CHILD SURVIVAL PACKAGE will reduce neonatal mortality through addressing the quality of care in hospitals. It brings all aspects of the Ferghana experience together into one cohesive, evidence based approach.

It includes Perinatal Care improvements, improvements to Neonatal Resuscitation techniques, Essential Newborn Care improvements, the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and the universal introduction of the International Live Birth Definition.

The International Live Birth Definition provides accurate data on infant’s births and deaths. This makes it easier to address problems in care.

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is an internationally recognized set of mother and child care standards. It places an emphasis on keeping the mother and the child together, on keeping them comfortable and thereby keeping them healthy

The newborn survival package will be linked to a clear referral system at the Primary Health Clinic level. This will ensure the timeliness of treatment for all conditions.

THE CHILD SURVIVAL PACKAGE addresses the major causes of early childhood morbidity and mortality.

Ferghana families: exclusive breastfeeding ensures babies get the vital nutrients they need.

It includes the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI), effective growth monitoring techniques, the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and the control of micronutrient deficiencies.

The IMCI package sets improved, and new cost effective techniques for doctors to diagnose and treat a range of common diseases found in Uzbekistan’s children

The package primarily focuses on the out-patient level of healthcare in both rural and urban areas. All elements are largely based on successful evidence from Ferghana.

MANAGING IMPLEMENTATION

Effective coordination is vital in implementing such a large reform programme. The steering committee coordinates all project activity, including all training programmes. It includes all partner organisations working in MCH in Uzbekistan to strengthen nationwide impact, share expertise and avoid overlap.

The steering committee meets to prepare for the official project launch on October 27th 2008.

The Committee meets at least quarterly and Dr. I Kamilov, Deputy Minister of Health, chairs. Alongside the Ministry of Health, the European Union, UNICEF and the National Coordinating Unit are all core members.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), The World Bank (WB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are major partners active in MCH in Uzbekistan and are fully represented on the committee.

AWARENESS RAISING AND COMMUNICATION

Women and children at a Ferghana children’s clinic

To ensure the maximum and fully sustainable impact, a comprehensisve advocacy and communications strategy is targeting mothers, families, high and mid-level medical professionals and health administrators across the country

We are working with partners, the media the other national and international experts to ensure to ensure that:

• families know of the quality care available to them,
• mothers and familiesconfidence in these services is built up; and,
• to ultimately ensure they use them. Also,
• to ensure new techniques are spread effectively throughout the system; and
• are sustained and regularly tested and monitored in the future.

The project also strictly adheres to the joint European Union and United Nations visibility guidelines. Taking every opportunity to promote partnership among public’s in Uzbekistan and the EU. As well as among key decision makers and the international media

 

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