Conference Opens on Improving Maternal and Child Health

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 17 – Delegations from countries where mothers and children are at high risk of dying gathered here today for a three-day conference with funders and global health advocates on the ways and means of lowering that risk.

The estimated 450 participants planned to discuss the findings of a new report, entitled Countdown to 2015: Tracking Progress in Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival, which evaluated action since 1990 in 68 developing countries that account for 97 percent of maternal and child deaths worldwide.

It found that only 16 of those countries are on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing child deaths by half. Only three countries have lowered their maternal mortality rates significantly, indicating a general lack of movement toward MDG 5, which calls for reducing maternal deaths by 75 percent by 2015.

Delegations from 61 of those high-risk countries are expected to take part in the gathering at the Westin Grand Hotel here, which ends Saturday. Events include special sessions with parliamentarians and donor country representatives attending the 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Dr. Gertrude Mongella, president of the Pan-African Parliament, said in a speech yesterday that parliamentarians and governments must lead the way in saving the lives of women and children. "There are 45,000 parliamentarians globally," she said. "If we all beat that drum--for maternal, newborn and child survival--the budgets would change. The time is over for talking. We need action."

The study, which was a joint effort by United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities and individual researchers, said 12 African countries have made no gains or lost ground because of armed conflict and high rates of HIV/AIDS prevalence. It noted that other countries have made significant progress and some have put elements in place that will allow future movement.

Areas of "missed opportunities" that should receive new investment include programs promoting family planning, skilled care during labor and delivery, better nutrition and clinical care for sick children, the report said.

It added that donors should direct their aid more to strengthening target countries' health systems in general and restrict it less to specific projects. It said much better data collection is critical to gauging progress in all areas, and that new ways to reach vulnerable populations should be tested and used.

It noted that overseas development aid had risen significantly since 1990 but was still inadequate: an investment of US $10 billion per year is needed to achieve the mother and child MDGs by 2015.

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