The Health Foundation today officially launches a £2.7 million, three year programme dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare for babies and mothers living in Malawi. An international consortium of leading experts has been formed by the Foundation to work alongside Malawian healthcare professionals and the Malawi government.
Malawi has one of the world’s highest rates of maternal deaths during childbirth[1]. Recent surveys suggest that 1,120 mothers die for every 100,000 live births[2]. Infant death rates are also high with 42 babies dying for every 1,000 births[2]. Nearly half of all deliveries (44%)[3] occur outside of healthcare facilities, making it difficult to provide timely and effective treatment when complications occur during childbirth.
The Health Foundation’s programme is seen to be particularly innovative as it not only supports government efforts to improve care inside hospitals but also provides support directly to village communities, empowering and educating local people to improve care for pregnant women and newborn babies. This two-pronged approach has not been applied in an international setting before and, if successful, could make a substantial contribution to the international development community. The Foundation will also work with the Malawi government on a national audit of births and deaths so that health officials can monitor improvements and identify areas where enhanced work is needed.
His Excellency Dr Francis Moto, High Commissioner for the Republic of Malawi, and a number of eminent figures in the field of maternal and child health helped to launch the programme at The Health Foundation’s offices today. His Excellency said; “I welcome The Health Foundation’s important investment in Malawi. There is an urgent need to address the situation for mothers and babies who require the highest standards of care possible. The Health Foundation is the first external donor to come forward with a programme that will bolster our existing work to improve the situation and I congratulate them on their approach.”
Stephen Thornton, Chief Executive of The Health Foundation, said; “Pound for pound, The Health Foundation’s support for this programme is a good investment. It will save the lives of many women and children in Malawi, whilst providing real and sustainable changes to maternity care.”
The Health Foundation will partner with four organisations to plan and carry out the work in Malawi, namely Liverpool Associates in Tropical Health/Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, The Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Women and Children First and The Institute of Child Health. These organisations have been selected based on their diverse and complementary expertise and their existing experience of working in Malawi. Representatives from the consortium will work closely with the Malawian Ministry of Health, hospitals, clinics and local community women’s groups.
Further information about the consortium and its work can be found on our awards page.
References
1. Malawi Ministry of Health. Emergency Obstetric Care Services in Malawi, Report of a Nationwide Assessment. Lilongwe, July 2005.
2. National Statistics Office Malawi and ORC Macro. Malawi Demographic and Health Survey 2000. Zomba, Malawi and Calverton, Maryland, USA, 2001.
3. McCoy, D., Ashwood-Smith, H., Ratsma, E., Kemp, J., Rowson, M. Going from bad to worse: Malawi’s maternal mortality. Durban: Health Systems Trust and Global Equity Gauge Alliance, November 2004.
Notes to editors
About The Health Foundation consortium
The Health Foundation will support four organisations to manage and deliver the programme working closely with the Malawian Ministry of Health. These are:
- Liverpool Associates in Tropical Health(LATH)/Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) LATH-LSTM will provide the programme’s expertise in the area of quality improvement of maternal and neonatal health services. Operationally, LATH, with technical support from LSTM, will work jointly with IHI to provide the hospital and clinic-based elements of the programme. In addition, LATH will provide overall programme management, financial management and grant management functions on behalf of the consortium. LSTM has extensive experience in improving the quality of maternal healthcare in Kenya at both national and district levels and is also involved in quality improvement programmes in Malawi and Nigeria. LATH-LSTM have a long association with the Malawi Ministry of Health, particularly within the Reproductive Health Unit (RHU), and at present are responsible for 18 technical advisors working within the government as part of a DFID initiative. The presence of these staff in the government’s data management, personnel and procurement teams will provide access to a powerful network of information and advice on the ground.
- The Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) The IHI team will work jointly with LATH and LSTM to provide the hospital and clinic-based elements of the programme. IHI has extensive experience of working with healthcare organisations in the US on quality improvement programmes. In 2001, following three years of exploratory work in Peru and Sub-Saharan Africa plus successful applications of IHI methodology in other developing world settings, IHI officially expanded its role to incorporate work within the world’s most resource-poor countries. In 2004, IHI decided to focus its energies on increasing local capacity for the rapid expansion of treatment for AIDS, beginning in South Africa, and applying thoroughly tested approaches to collaborative improvement, spread of innovation and chronic disease management.
- Women and Children First (WCF) WCF will be responsible for setting up and managing the women’s group activities. WCF is a registered non-governmental organisation set up to improve the health of women and children in poor communities. WCF has programmes in Bangladesh, Nepal and Malawi which aim to work with local organisations and governments to improve healthcare outcomes for pregnant women and their newborns. WCF has developed expertise in setting up and managing women’s group activities including developing appropriate resource materials and building capacity of partner organisations and programme beneficiaries.
- The Institute of Child Health (ICH) Professor Anthony Costello at The Institute of Child Health, University College London, will lead on the evaluation of the three year programme. The aim of the evaluation is to assess whether the programme has led to a reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity and to identify factors associated with its success. Through its innovative research and its high quality training programmes, the Institute of Child Health has created a world class centre for the study and treatment of childhood disease. Working with Great Ormond Street Hospital, it forms the largest centre for research into childhood illness outside the United States.