Every year over half a million women die as a consequence of what are mostly preventable complications during pregnancy, childbirth or abortion, the vast majority of them in developing countries. Four million babies die during the first month of life, which is fully 40 percent of all deaths to children under five (WHO).
The United Nations' Millennium Development Goals pose significant challenges: to reduce maternal mortality by three quarters and reduce child deaths by two thirds by 2015. Given the number of maternal and newborn deaths has actually increased globally since the goals were set, huge progress must be made to meet the goals.
Options recognises that change can only take place when health systems function effectively at every level. We work at the national level, supporting the design and improvement of national policies and programmes and building the capacity of policymakers and programme managers to strengthen the health system and to make evidence-based decisions.
In Cambodia, nearly one third of all maternal deaths result from unsafe abortions, even though abortion was legalised in the late 1990s. Options supports the Government of Cambodia (with funding from DFID) to implement the national plan to reduce unsafe abortion, particularly among poor and vulnerable women, through the roll-out of comprehensive abortion care and long-term family planning. We have also worked to strengthen national policy in MNCH in China, India, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, Philippines, Sierra Leone and Yemen and we have worked with international organizations on shaping institutional approaches, including DFID and WHO.
We also work at the local level, providing technical assistance to programme managers and others in areas such as integration of neonatal, maternal and reproductive health services, drawing up local procurement strategies, designing training programmes for staff, monitoring and evaluating programmes, and improving quality of care.
- In Nepal, Options manages the DFID-funded Support to Safe Motherhood Programme (SSMP) which strengthens both supply and demand for MNH services and seeks to improve the quality of and equity of access to services. SSMP supports the implementation and evaluation of an innovative programme which provides women with a monetary payment if they deliver at facilities. The payment helps pay for out-of-pocket costs (e.g. transport) associated with accessing services.
- We currently provide ongoing monitoring and evaluation support to maternal and neo-natal health projects in 9 developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America that are funded by the Federation of International Gynaecologists and Obstetricians.
Options' key areas of expertise include policy development, promoting skilled attendance, midwifery education and professional development, essential newborn care, strengthening service delivery including Essential Obstetric Care and quality of care, enhancing referral systems, prevention and management of unwanted pregnancy, and identifying and addressing barriers to access.
We strive to ensure that key maternal, newborn and child health issues remain on the international agenda.
