MCSP Lao PDR Quarterly Report FY 2018 Quarter 3

The report highlights the progress made in improving maternal and newborn health (MNH) indicators in Lao PDR. The Ministry of Health (MoH) and its partners have achieved ambitious targets for increasing the number of skilled birth attendants in the country. However, the quality of birth attendants remains inadequate due to rapid education and lack of support and supervision post-training. To address this challenge, the MoH launched the Lao PDR Ministry of Health (2016) National Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Strategy and Action Plan 2016-2020, and the Lao PDR Ministry of Health (2016) Midwifery Improvement Plan 2016-2020. MCSP Lao PDR is supporting the MoH at the central and provincial levels to promote the introduction of capacity building and quality improvement approaches in 10 districts in Luang Prabang and Sayaboury provinces. The program has made significant progress in strengthening key skills for maternal and newborn care among MNH care providers, their educators, and their supervisors. Objective 1 of the program aims to improve the quality of maternal and newborn care in Luang Prabang and Sayaboury provinces by strengthening key skills for maternal and newborn care among MNH care providers, their educators, and their supervisors. The program has achieved notable breakthroughs in mentoring visits to districts facilities with health center midwives. In May and June, MCSP and district mentors completed six quarterly on-site mentoring visits to the districts and Luang Prabang provincial hospital. During these visits, MCSP mobilized district mentors to provide on-site support instead of provincial buddy mentors who are often unavailable. This approach has been mutually beneficial for both the host district and the visiting mentor. The program plans to begin a health center midwife internship program in July, which will allow health center midwives to spend two weeks at the district facility learning in real delivery rooms under the supervision of a team of four mentors. Objective 2 of the program aims to support the MoH initiative to strengthen supportive supervision of midwives with technical contributions to the national supportive supervision system and tools. The program has made significant progress in this area, including the presentation at the Lao OB/GYN society conference and the inauguration of the Lao Midwifery Association. The presentation demonstrated the potential of mentoring as a sustainable approach to in-service professional development and supportive supervision, and was well-received. The public presentation generated interest and will be a valuable precursor to the larger program dissemination meeting in August. The Midwifery Association is an important step forward for strengthening midwifery as a profession in Lao PDR. Objective 3 of the program aims to support process documentation to capture program learning to inform MoH and stakeholder efforts to improve MNH care. The program has made significant progress in this area, including the quarterly mentor meetings including provincial and district leadership. In April and June, MCSP held the regular quarterly mentor review meetings with mentors, district hospital directors, and provincial leadership. The one-day meeting involved sharing of experiences, challenges, and successes, as well as discussion of quality improvement plans. The program has also made significant progress in process documentation, including the development of a mentorship manual and the establishment of a mentorship database. Overall, the MCSP Lao PDR Quarterly Report FY 2018 Quarter 3 highlights the significant progress made in improving maternal and newborn health indicators in Lao PDR. The program has made notable breakthroughs in mentoring visits, supportive supervision, and process documentation, and has demonstrated the potential of mentoring as a sustainable approach to in-service professional development and supportive supervision.