DRC-IHP Trip Report: Indira Narayanan

The program is implemented by Management Sciences for Health and is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Cooperative Agreement AID-OAA-A-10-00054. The program's objective is to work with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and other partners to improve maternal and newborn health. The program focuses on providing technical assistance to the MOH and other partners to strengthen their capacity to deliver high-quality maternal and newborn health services. The program also aims to improve the quality of care for low birth weight infants through the introduction and expansion of facility-based Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) services. The consultant, Indira Narayanan, was tasked with providing technical assistance to the IHP technical team on newborn care within the framework of integrated care for the mother and the newborn. The consultant's specific tasks included supporting planning with IHP staff and USAID, training IHP staff, and participating in Kangaroo Mother Care Training. The consultant's trip report highlights several major programmatic goals realized during the trip. These include the facilitation of the KMC workshop, the facilitation of development of plans of action to implement activities for newborn health within MNH, and the facilitation of review of M & E with emphasis on indicators and tools. The consultant also provided suggestions for workplan activities, including promoting a national support for newborn health, supporting the finalization of national norms and directives related to newborn health, and advocating for the inclusion of newborn health indicators in the national health management information system (SNIS). The program's geographic focus is on the DRC, with a specific emphasis on the Kinshasa region. The program's timeframes are not explicitly stated, but the consultant's trip report covers the period from June 30 to July 27, 2011. The program's implementation details include the provision of technical assistance to the MOH and other partners, the facilitation of training and capacity-building activities, and the support for the development of plans of action to implement activities for newborn health within MNH. The program's recommendations include the promotion of a national support for newborn health, the finalization of national norms and directives related to newborn health, and the inclusion of newborn health indicators in the national health management information system (SNIS). The program's background and context include the country's health status, the program's objectives, and the program's methodology. The program's major trip accomplishments include the facilitation of the KMC workshop, the facilitation of development of plans of action to implement activities for newborn health within MNH, and the facilitation of review of M & E with emphasis on indicators and tools. The program's products include a trip report, written suggestions to revise documents, and training materials on integrated mother and newborn care with emphasis on newborn care. The program's deliverables include a trip report, a final evaluation of the KMC training, and a final report of the KMC training.