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Global Reproductive Health: Building Reproductive Health Capacity |
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The World Health Organization (WHO)* designates institutions and
organizations around the world to serve as global resource centers to assist
countries in dealing with a variety of health issues. CDC's Division of
Reproductive Health, in collaboration with Emory University, serves as one of
its global resource centers in maternal, perinatal, and child health. WHO
recently broadened the activity of the center and redesignated it as a World
Health Organization Collaborating Center in Reproductive Health (WHO/CC/RH).
The foundation of knowledge and skills created by the WHO/CC/RH enables
health care providers and decision makers to sustain efforts long after the
WHO/CC/RH consultants' role concludes. The Center has worked in many
countries on five continents, partnering with other United Nations agencies, national
governments, nongovernmental and multilateral agencies, U.S. government
agencies, and many other organizations. The purpose is to build reproductive
health capacity and provide technical assistance in ways that ultimately
improve reproductive outcomes for mothers and infants around the world. It
is also working with the PAN American Health Organization (PAHO) to improve
monitoring and surveillance of maternal and neonatal health throughout Latin
America. In addition to the projects described below, the WHO/CC/RH is
involved in activities in Russia, the Central Asia Republics, the West Bank, Guyana,
Columbia, and China.
The Healthy Newborn Manual: A Reference
Manual for Program Managers
The WHO/CC/RH worked
collaboratively with CARE through the
CARE/CDC Health Initiative (CCHI)* to develop
The
Healthy Newborn Manual. This manual provides
- An overview of global newborn health issues.
- A systematic approach to analyze data, identify problems, select
interventions, and evaluate progress.
- A summary of evidence-based interventions and lessons learned from the field.
- It serves as user-friendly reference assisting program managers to systematically
implement evidence-based standards that will have the most impact on
newborn health in their setting. The WHO/CC/RH is currently working
with CARE to develop a revised and expanded edition of this manual.
Currently WHO/CC/RH is collaborating with CARE on an updated and expanded
volume which will include information on maternal health as well as newborn
health. This volume is expected to be published in 2008.
Improving Newborn and Maternal Health in
Afghanistan
In response to the DHHS
Afghanistan initiative,
CDC has worked with other agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services to establish, as part of U.S. reconstruction efforts in
Afghanistan, a training program
in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rabia-Balkhi Hospital (Kabul) as a center of
excellence. This work has been performed in collaboration with the
Department of State (DOS), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Afghanistan
Ministry of Health, the International Medical Corp (IMC), and CARE. DRH
also obtained funding from the Gates Foundation for selected project
activities.
CDC activities to date have focused on—
- Developing health care surveillance systems for maternal and child
health.
- Helping clinical staff obtain skills to provide quality care to
women and newborns.
- Promoting the use of infection control measures.
- Developing neonatal assessment and triage.
- Introducing quality assurance principles into the hospital system.
- Developing targeted occupational safety and health services for
healthcare workers.
- Fostering the development of midwifery services.
- Supporting the informatics function of the project.
In partnership with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), UNICEF, and CDC
the Afghan Public Health Institute (APHI) is the focal point for human Avian
Influenza (AI) and MCH activities. The APHI is based in the Ministry of
Public Health and supported through a long-standing cooperative agreement.
These activities include but are not limited to—
- Disease Early Warning Systems (DEWS),
- Maternal Child Health and AI surveillance systems,
- Community-based MCH services, and
- Emergency Response Teams (ERTs).
Dott MM, Orakail N, Ebadi H, Hernandez F, MacFarlane K, Riley PL, Prepas
R, McCarthy BJ. Implementing a facility-based maternal and perinatal health
care surveillance system in Afghanistan, Journal of Midwifery and Women’s
Health 2005; 50(4):296–300.
Williams JL, McCarthy B. Observations from a maternal and infant hospital in
Kabul Afghanistan─2003, Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health 2005;
50(4):e31–e35.
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Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
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Page
last reviewed: 7/29/08
Page last modified: 2/20/08
Content source: Division
of Reproductive Health,
National Center for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion |
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