Maternal Health: Technical Areas
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| Source: Ellyn W. Ogden/USAID |
USAID’s maternal health strategy focuses on two primary technical areas: maternal and newborn care and health systems strengthening. These technical foci are complementary, with the goal of feasible, cost-effective maternal and newborn care programs existing within well-functioning health care systems.
Maternal and Newborn Care
USAID focuses its efforts on cost-effective interventions that are feasible for implementation in resource poor environments. Maternal health programs build on available scientific evidence, current understanding of the varied health infrastructure capability in countries, and the need to achieve widespread public health impact. Specific interventions for maternal and newborn programs are chosen within the framework of clinical determinants for healthy pregnancy outcome in low resource environments. The framework for this approach approach shows the key elements of self-care and services for all childbearing women, including the approximately 15 percent of pregnancies that develop complications and require medical care.
To achieve healthy pregnancy outcome, USAID advances essential, evidence-based technical elements in maternal and newborn programs that are feasible in low resource environments: family planning, birth preparation through antenatal care and household practices, safe delivery, postpartum and newborn care, and treatment of complications (maternal mortality and neonatal death).
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