Preparation of 05-year Mother and Neonatal Child Health strategy

Objective:

Preparation of 05-year Mother and Neonatal Child Health strategy

About Project
Mercy Corps is implementing a four-year Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) program in Quetta, Gwadar, and Kech districts of Balochistan, Pakistan, with support from USAID and the Scottish Government. The program addresses the high rates of maternal and neonatal mortality in Pakistan by focusing on improving skilled birth attendance in remote communities. Despite efforts to train community midwives (CMWs), many have struggled to establish clinics and attract clients.
The Saving Mothers and Newborns in Communities (SMNC) initiative seeks to enhance maternal and newborn health by enabling CMWs to become self-sustaining, private MNCH service providers. The program includes key components such as clinical refresher training, business skills development, the establishment of home-based clinics, and the integration of mobile health (mHealth) technology to track patient data and send reminders. Additionally, the program strengthens behavior change efforts, timely referrals, and policy-level support through the development of a five-year MNCH strategy for the Balochistan Department of Health (DoH).
The objective of this initiative is to provide evidence on scaling high-impact MNCH interventions through CMWs, with a focus on quality improvement, capacity building, and creating an enabling environment for CMWs to deliver essential maternal and newborn health services.

Services Provided:

Momentum successfully completed consulting assignment for the Government of Balochistan’s MNCH Strategy. The first was the formulation and development of the MNCH Strategy 2017-2022. The assignments aimed to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes in Balochistan by ensuring strategic planning and financial sustainability.

 

  1. Inception Report and Desk Review: Momentum initiated the project with a comprehensive inception report and an extensive desk review. This phase included gathering existing MNCH-related data, reviewing previous strategies, and understanding the provincial health landscape.
  2. Stakeholder Consultations and Workshops: A series of consultations and workshops were conducted with key stakeholders, including representatives from the Department of Health, healthcare providers, community leaders, and NGOs. These sessions helped gather insights, identify gaps, and align the strategy with local needs and priorities.
  3. Drafting the MNCH Strategy: Based on the consultations, Momentum drafted the MNCH Strategy, focusing on key components such as service delivery, human resources, community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks. The draft was tailored to address the unique challenges of maternal and neonatal health in Balochistan.
  4. Review and Finalization: The draft MNCH Strategy was shared with stakeholders for feedback. Incorporating their inputs, the strategy was finalized to reflect a comprehensive, evidence-based plan that aligned with both provincial and national health priorities.
  5. Strategy Presentation and Launch: The finalized MNCH Strategy was presented to the Balochistan Health Department, followed by a formal launch event. Momentum facilitated discussions on the strategy’s implementation, emphasizing its importance in improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes

Project Team:

Dr. Saima Shafique :
Dr. Ejaz Ahmed Khan
Ghulam Shabbir