The global maternal health conference

Last week, the Global Maternal Health Conference was convened from Monday, 30th August to Wednesday, 1st September 2010 at Habitat Center, New Delhi, India. It was co - hosted by Engender Health and Public Health Foundation, India. It attracted over 600 experts from all over the world ranging from government officials, researchers, media, academia, civil societies, foundations and international development partners and agencies. Yours faithfully was opportuned to be there and shared his experience in using budget advocacy and tracking to influence budgetary allocation to maternal health services in Nigeria.

The idea to organize the conference started in 2006 with discussion among some of the world’s maternal health leaders about a need for a maternal health hub, a place where experts working on maternal mortality and morbidity could come together in a neutral and enabling environment to increase coordination around the evidence, programs, and advocacy to improve maternal health worldwide.

The Maternal Health Task Force at Engender Health and the conference are the realization of such discussion. The conference was aimed at sharing data and impressions, learning about progress and new innovations, identifying the knowledge gaps that still need to be filled, and reaching a consensus on local, national, and global maternal health strategies.

It was observed that the maternal health field is gaining new attention from donors, policy makers, academics, young people, media, and influential think tanks. Invigorated attention has also came from donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation—–two foundations that have made the Maternal Health Task Force possible. The conference has also emphasized that momentum around the world towards achieving Millennium Development Goal 5, Improve Maternal Health, is accelerating as a result of increased advocacy and more robust research. Several countries have adopted policies that increase skilled attendance at birth, that ensure that emergency situations could be treated safely and with expertise, and that monitor the quality of maternal health care.

It was declared open by the Indian Minister of Health via a paper he presented ‘The importance of bringing global maternal health experts and maternal health conversation to India.’


Sessions were organized according to the following themes

Underlying factors in maternal mortality and morbidity

Implications from allied health and social sectors, health-care seeking behaviors, and the indirect causes of poor maternal health, including gender rights and equity

Ideas and interventions to improve maternal health

Programmatic approaches including clinical services delivery, integration opportunities and interconnections, community-based responses, cost-effective solutions, implementation research and intervention evidence

Measuring and monitoring maternal health

Program performance assessments, verbal autopsies, and new techniques of measuring and monitoring

Reproductive and sexual health

Links with family planning, abortion, HIV/AIDS, male involvement and serving the needs of adolescents

Strengthening systems for maternal health

Access to quality care, public-private partnerships, financing and investment alternatives, expanding skilled care, and referral challenges

Policy, advocacy and communication

Accountability mechanisms, advocacy campaigns, new technologies, and political will and law.

While such kind of conferences brought together experts and concerned individuals on reducing maternal morbidity and mortality globally. It also provides a platform to get feed backs from colleagues about ones’ work and learn from others what works and is not working with the aim of coming back home to pilot new strategies and interventions to improve health outcomes.

All comments to Dr Aminu Magashi at healthweekly@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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