USAID launches $387m maternal, Child Health Program

U.S. Ambassador Richard Olson launched the $387 million Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Program on Friday.

The Ambassador and the Sindh Secretary of Health, Mr. Inamullah Khan Dharejo, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for this five-year project at an event in Karachi. 

Under this initiative, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will support Pakistan’s efforts to reach more mothers and children with integrated family planning, maternal, newborn, and child health services, and ultimately reduce maternal and child mortality rates.

Speaking at the occasion, Ambassador Olson said, “The main goal of the Maternal and Child Health Program, whose launch we commemorate today, is to dramatically reduce maternal and infant mortality.  This includes ambitious targets such as averting 4,000 maternal deaths, reducing infant mortality by 13%, and increasing the use of skilled birth attendants by 38%.  This will be another landmark for U.S.-Pakistan cooperation in the health sector.”

The MCH Program aims to support innovative approaches for strengthening the capacity of Pakistan’s public and private sectors by delivering high-impact, evidence-based health interventions such as service delivery, awareness raising, and health-system strengthening.  The MCH Program will also provide technical assistance to the health and population sectors at the federal, provincial, and district levels to reform and improve service delivery.

The MCH Program will help forge partnerships between international and local health experts and Pakistan’s vibrant private sector to bring cutting-edge health approaches and models to Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

Through these efforts, more women will have access to emergency obstetric care, modern contraception, and quality essential newborn care.  New mothers will also be provided with critical information regarding hygiene, nutrition, immunizations, and treatment of common illnesses for their children through the first five years of life.

 The United States has also helped Pakistan reconstruct and equip 155 health units, triple the size of and modernize the Central Warehouse for Health Commodities in Karachi, and helped thousands of medical professionals upgrade their skills.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=40713

Posted by Tahir Khan on Jun 28 2013. Filed under USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.