LAC regional -- health priorities [project] (598-0825) : maternal mortality initiative

The RP, one of four under the Regional Health Priorities Project (5980825), comprises intermediate results (IRs) to: (1) increase PVO/Ministry of Health (MOH) capability to address community needs; (2) improve protocols and standards for the first line of referral; and (3) implement the basic emergency obstetric care (BEOC) aspects of the Regional Plan of Action for the Reduction of Maternal Mortality in the Americas. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will oversee RP implementation in Bolivia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru. The first IR, to be implemented mainly by the MotherCare Project (9365966), will increase the capability of selected PVO networks and MOHs to identify and respond to community needs for essential care of obstetrical complications, with a view to ensuring that women receive care at the first level of referral. More specific objectives are to: increase understanding of the importance of interpersonal communication and perceptions of quality of care, develop and disseminate prototype guidelines for management and referral from health posts and health centers, and develop an information network for NGOs, MOHs, and health facilities at the community level. The second IR, which will be implemented mainly by the Quality Assurance Project (9365992), will develop, test, evaluate, and disseminate approaches to enhance the use of protocols, standards, and guidelines at the first level of referral. More specifically, this IR will disseminate (1) the results of pilot studies to test approaches to improve compliance with national norms for BEOC by health workers at the first level of referral, and (2) prototype protocols and standards for BEOC. Finally, the under the third IR, PAHO will intensively implement the BEOC aspects of the Regional Plan of Action for the Reduction of Maternal Mortality in the Americas, which serves as a guide for country programs and which is a core strategy for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall Plan. Objectives are to: revise the Plan, establishing regional and country interagency coordinating committees (ICCs), enhance communications between country and regional staff regarding strategies and progress, improve the knowledge base of country program managers, increase national political support for implementation of the Plan, and promote BEOC-related legislative, regulatory, and policy changes.