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USAID/ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Open Third Birth Preparedness School
On March 2, USAID and ExxonMobil Kazakhstan, Inc. celebrated the official opening of three Birth Preparedness Schools and announced a fourth Global Development Alliance (GDA) project to be carried out through their the “Partnership for Healthy Motherhood-Future of Astana.” Partnership projects are based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Safe Motherhood Strategy aimed at the reduction of maternal and child morbidity and mortality in Kazakhstan.
The project focuses on improving maternal and child health in the country’s capital by reshaping prenatal, delivery and postpartum care to be more woman-, child-, and family-centered, with a strong emphasis on evidence-based practices. The projects are implemented by the USAID-funded ZdravPlus II Project and the Kazakhstan Association of Family Practitioners in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Akimat and Health Department of Astana City. Improvement of maternal and child health is one of the priority objectives of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan in accordance with the National Health Care Reform and Development Program in Kazakhstan 2005-2010.
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More than 2,000 Kazakhstani women have learned key steps they can take to keep their babies healthy and safe
Photo Credit: ZdravPlus |
In April 2006, international instructors began training local doctors and midwives in Astana on the WHO’s Safe Motherhood Curriculum, which promotes a less medicalized approach to childbirth. In addition to numerous medical and non-medical recommendations, the WHO method calls for fewer prenatal visits, allows for partners to be present during labor and delivery, and advise keeping the newborn with its mother at all times.
Olga, a young obstetrician who participated in the first training, was enthusiastic about the WHO approach, “Though I have been working as a doctor for only four years, I can really see a difference between the old approaches and the new . . . this feels right in my heart. Our outlook has been changed.”
The first Birth Preparedness Schools began operating in July 2006 at the City Perinatal Center and Maternity Hospital #1. Since opening, 2,000 pregnant women have already attended training courses at the schools. The third school, organized under the Demeu Family Medicine Center, opened in early March.
In the year ahead, USAID and Exxon Mobil intend to continue cooperation to improve knowledge and skills of medical personnel, support schools in meeting high standards, and educate the community on reproductive health issues. At the March 2 ceremony, U.S. Ambassador John Ordway said, “The U.S. Government is proud to support the fourth joint Global Development Alliance Project in partnership with ExxonMobil Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Health. Whether reducing unnecessary medications and procedures during pregnancy, or reducing unnecessary blood transfusions for infants and young children, all of us have a crucial role to play in ensuring the quality of health care for women and children. Although our collaboration has led to positive results, the tragic pediatric HIV outbreak in South Kazakhstan oblast demonstrates that much work remains to be done.”
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