Factors influencing rapid progress in child health in post-conflict Liberia: a mixed methods country case study on progress in child survival, 2000–2013

ObjectivesOnly 12 countries in the WHO’s African region met Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) to reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Given the variability across the African region, a four-country mixed methods study was undertaken to examine barriers and facilitators of child survival prior to 2015. Liberia was selected for an in-depth case study due to its success in reducing under-five mortality by 73% and thus successfully meeting MDG 4. Liberia’s success was particularly notable given the civil war that ended in 2003. We examined some factors contributing to their reductions in under-five mortality.DesignA case study mixed methods approach drawing on data from quantitative indicators, national documents and qualitative interviews was used to describe factors that enabled Liberia to rebuild their maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) programmes and reduce under-five mortality following the country’s civil war.SettingThe interviews were conducted in Monrovia (Montserrado County) and the areas in and around Gbarnga, Liberia (Bong County, North Central region).ParticipantsKey informant interviews were conducted with Ministry of Health officials, donor organisations, community-based organisations involved in MNCH and healthcare workers. Focus group discussions were conducted with women who have experience accessing MNCH services.ResultsThree prominent factors contributed to the reduction in under-five mortality: national prioritisation of MNCH after the civil war; implementation of integrated packages of services that expanded access to key interventions and promoted intersectoral collaborations; and use of outreach campaigns, community health workers and trained traditional midwives to expand access to care and improve referrals.ConclusionsAlthough Liberia experiences continued challenges related to limited resources, Liberia’s effective strategies and rapid progress may provide insights for reducing under-five mortality in other post-conflict settings.

Positive Strategies in Achieving Health for All Children: An Equity Framework and Its Effect on Research Design and Education

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by world leaders in 2000 aimed to address some of the most pressing global issues of our times: extreme poverty, unequal health, and inequities in development. The MDGs, a set of interrelated targets to be met by 2015, catalyzed political commitment toward improving child survival and maternal health. Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 called for a two-thirds reduction in the younger-than-5 child mortality rate and a three-quarters reduction in the maternal mortality ratio, respectively, from 1990 base figures.1 Although concerted global efforts have led to substantial reductions in maternal and child mortality over the past 25 years, MDG 4 and 5 targets have not been fully realized. Only 62 of the 195 countries with available estimates achieved the MDG 4 target, of which 24 were low-income and lower-middle–income countries.2 Only 2 regions, East Asia and the Pacific (69% reduction) and Latin America and the Caribbean (67% reduction), met the target at a regional level.2 For MDG 5, of the 95 countries that had a maternal mortality ratio of more than 100 in 1990, only 9 achieved the target for reduction in maternal mortality: Bhutan, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Iran, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Rwanda, and Timor-Leste.3 As we celebrate the fact that the global younger-than-5 mortality rate and maternal mortality ratio have fallen by 53% and 43.9%, respectively, since 1990, we also face the sobering reality that high numbers of women and children are still dying every year, largely due to conditions that could have been prevented or treated if existing cost-effective interventions were universally available.2–4 The burden of mortality also remains unevenly distributed, with the largest numbers and highest rates of maternal and younger-than-5 deaths concentrated in countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, especially in lower-income countries and among fragile states, especially those with ongoing conflict.2,3,5 2015 marked the end of the MDG era and the beginning of a new global framework, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This new framework presents an opportunity to leverage the momentum built over recent decades to tackle global inequities in maternal and child health. Of these SDGs, goal 3 also calls for an end to preventable deaths of newborns and children younger than 5 years, as well as a reduction in maternal mortality to less than 70 per 100,000 live births, by 2030.6 Achieving this target would require overcoming barriers and inequities in access to quality health services and, thus, implementing strategies to reach all mothers and children, including those who are most vulnerable, remote, and at risk. In this chapter, we discuss the current burden of younger-than-5 and maternal mortality, barriers contributing to health inequities, and, finally, evidence-based strategies to bridge these gaps.

Maternal Health and the Sustainable Development Goals – A new focus for the world and for our region

By the year 2015, we had all become very familiar with the Millennium Development Goals and many countries were used to reporting their health indicators using MDGs. For those of us working in maternal and child health, in many ways, there was a simple direction to our reporting – we predominately focussed on MDG 4 (child health), MDG 5 (maternal health) and MDG 6 (HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases including tuberculosis). Across the Pacific Island region, there was reported to be good progress from 1990 to 2015 in reducing maternal mortality, with only fair progress in reducing child mortality, ensuring access to reproductive health and poor progress in the halt and reversal of the spread of TB. Clearly, we all still have work to do in our region especially to improve maternal health.

Perinatal Characteristics and Outcome of Neonates at NICU of a Tertiary Level Hospital in Bangladesh

Background: One of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG-4) is to reduce child mortality up to two-thirds by 2015. In most developing countries, a higher proportion of neonatal deaths are observed. It has been recognized that without a substantial reduction in neonatal deaths, MDG-4 will not be met.Objective: To assess the perinatal characteristics, pattern of admissions and outcome of neonates in a tertiary care centre in Bangladesh.Methods: A retrospective review of consecutive neonatal admissions to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, between January and December 2013, was conducted. Data were collected from the neonatal admission, discharge and death registers. Standard definitions of the conditions were used to diagnose the clinical conditions.Results: Total 683 neonates were admitted to the NICU. Among them 56.1% were inborn and males were 56.8%. Total 61.3% neonates were low birth weight and 60.3 % were preterm. The overall cesarean section rate was 61.9%. Total 35.3% neonates had sepsis and perinatal asphyxia was present in 16.8% neonates. Congenital anomaly was present in 17.6% neonates. The mean duration of hospital stay was 11.1 days and overall mortality rate was 14.9%.Conclusion: Prematurity, neonatal infections, birth asphyxia and congenital anomalies were the main causes of neonatal hospital admission and neonatal deaths in this study.Bangladesh J Child Health 2017; VOL 41 (1) :34-39

Child deaths at National District Hospital, Free State: one a month is better than one a week

Background: The United Nations set a two-thirds reduction in child mortality between 1990 and 2015 in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of 2000. The National Department of Health (NDoH) introduced strategies to achieve these MDGs, which included new vaccines, better HIV care and training of healthcare workers. This study investigated whether the strategies implemented by the NDoH decreased child mortality (MDG 4) at National District Hospital (NDH). Method: A retrospective file review was done on all children that died in NDH from 2008 to 2015. Data were collected from patient files and ChildPIP data forms. Deaths before and after the implementation of the strategies were compared. Results: A total of 209 children died during the study period. The mortality rate decreased from 47 per thousand admissions and stabilised at 15 per thousand admissions for the past five years. Deaths due to acute gastroenteritis decreased from 67% of the total to less than 40%. Pneumonia as the main cause of death decreased from 44 during the 2008–2010 period to 19 during the 2011–2015 period. More than 90% of the children who died were malnourished. There was no statistically significant improvement in the malnutrition rates during the study periods (p = 0.85). Conclusion: Child deaths decreased from one a week to one a month at NDH. Strategies to meet the MDG 4 targets, like the introduction of the Rotavirus and Pneumococcal vaccine, the scale-up of anti-retroviral treatment and Prevention of Mother to Child transmission of HIV and better Integrated Management of Childhood Illness training all contributed to the better outcome. (Full text of the research articles are available online at www.medpharm.tandfonline.com/ojfp) S Afr Fam Pract 2017; DOI: 10.1080/20786190.2017.1317991

Effective nutrition education and communication for sustainable maternal and child health

Maternal and child health (MCH) consists of an interdependent reproductive system that collectively determines the survival of the mother during childbirth, and determines the health and survival of the child. This interdependency underscores the importance of appropriate and timely interventions during pregnancy through the first 1000 d at the minimum. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) recommended the use of the continuum of care for the development of interventions by addressing all the stages of MCH. The purpose of the present paper is to review the factors that contributed to the attainment of the MDG 4 and MDG 5 by analysing the interventions conducted by the countries that achieved at least 5·0 and 5·5 %, respectively, and determine the level of their intervention based on the MCH conceptual framework. Out of the eighteen selected countries discussed, fifteen countries achieved their target for either MDG 4 or MDG 5 or both, while three countries did not achieve their target. The countries that were more likely to achieve their targets addressed the societal, underlying and direct causes, and implemented country wide policies. In contrast, the countries that did not succeed were more likely to address the direct causes with poor policy implementation. Understanding the motivation and limitations of the target population, including nutrition education and targeting behaviour change has the potential to result in sustainable MCH. This information has the potential to enlighten the policymakers as we progress to the sustainable development goals, specifically goals 2 and 3.

PAEDIATRIC AND OBSTETRICS EMERGENCIES TOWARDS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL’S 4, 5, AND 6: THE ROLE OF THE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

<p>The Physician Assistant (PA) plays a very important role in the rural areas manning clinics and health centers where no doctor is available. Millennium development goal (MDG 4) is targeted at reducing under-five mortality rates by half between 1990 and 2015. However, the current rate of 80 deaths per 1000 live births is far greater than the target rate of 40 per 1000 by 2015. MDG5 is aimed at reducing maternal mortality ratio by 2/3 by 2015. However, the current trend shows maternal death of 451 per 10,000 live births as against 185 by 1000 live births. MDG6 aims at combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases such as tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. There is still the need to reduce the prevalence of these diseases. Therefore, there is a need to increase the knowledge and number of PAs in the rural areas to help solve these problems.</p>