STRENTHENING EMERGENCY OBSTETRIC AND NEWBORN CARE IN NORTHERN NIGERIA FY09 Q4 REPORT

The program aimed to increase the utilization of quality Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) services by pregnant women, mothers, and their newborns in selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kano, Katsina, and Zamfara States. The program's life span was from April 1, 2009, to December 31, 2009, with a total estimated contract amount of $2,250,000 committed. Implementation of the program involved training of health care workers to provide EmONC services, renovation of health facilities, and provision of medical equipment. The program also focused on community mobilization and education on the importance of birth spacing and postpartum family planning. In FY09, MCHIP expanded its coverage from 37 to 48 health facilities in 22 LGAs across the three supported project states. The program also introduced the Standards Based Management and Recognition (SBMR) approach to quality improvement, which showed significant improvement in compliance with set EmONC standards. Training of health care workers was a key component of the program, with 15 doctors trained on contraceptive technology update, 30 nurse/midwives and community health extension workers (CHEWs) trained to provide postpartum family planning, and 27 service providers trained to use the SBM-R tool. The program also renovated five selected health facilities in Kano and Zamfara States. In addition, a USAID team visited Zamfara State to document success stories and evaluate the inputs of partners. The program's progress in FY09 was marked by significant improvements in compliance with EmONC standards, increased training of health care workers, and expansion of community mobilization and education efforts. However, the program did not meet its high targets for Couple Years of Protection (CYP). Despite this, the program continued to make progress in strengthening emergency obstetric and newborn care in Northern Nigeria. MCHIP's approach to quality improvement involved the use of innovative program approaches, including performance-based financing, community insurance schemes, and public-private partnerships. The program also focused on building global consensus and sustained government commitment to support results-oriented, high-impact, effective maternal and newborn health interventions. In Nigeria, MCHIP continued the goals and objectives of the ACCESS Program, which aimed to strengthen emergency obstetric and newborn care in Northern Nigeria as an entry point to postpartum family planning. The program's geographic focus was on Kano, Katsina, and Zamfara States in Northern Nigeria, where maternal and neonatal mortality rates were high. The program's implementation was led by MCHIP, in collaboration with local partners, including the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, and local government authorities. The program's success was dependent on the effective collaboration and coordination of these partners, as well as the commitment of the government and local communities to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes.