USAID Supports Safe Motherhood Review Meeting
PAS No 240
May 1, 2009
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Participants of the meeting discussed implementation of the Safe Motherhood Program and defined updates for the 2009 work plan based on its implementation in 2007-2008. Specialists reviewed results from twelve pilot maternity houses located in each of Turkmenistan’s five provinces where Turkmen health workers implemented the World Health Organization (WHO) standards of integrated management of pregnancy, labor, and antenatal care. Monitoring of the pilot sites demonstrated that new approaches reduced cases of hemorrhaging during delivery, blood/plasma transfusions, uterus amputation, obstetrical perineum breaks, newborn morbidity (conjunctivitis), newborn resuscitation cases, and newborn asphyxia. The meeting also mapped out plans for nationwide replication of the approaches tested in the pilot sites by USAID and other international donors.
The National Safe Motherhood Program aims to improve the health of reproductive-age women and their children by introducing internationally-recognized approaches to delivery, antenatal, postnatal and neonatal care, as well as management of health services. In support of this program, USAID helps train health workers, including Turkmen State Medical Institute teachers.
This program is one of many activities made possible by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since 1993 the American people through USAID have provided more than $80 million in assistance programs that support economic growth, community initiatives, expanded access to information, health care, and education systems in Turkmenistan.
