A newly produced booklet, District Hints and Tips (available in English and Nepali), summarises ten key areas of practical SSMP learning, to help district stakeholders, such as District/ Public Health Office staff and Health Facility Management Committees, improve safe motherhood services in their area. The aim is to enable districts that have not received direct SSMP support to gain some benefit from the programme’s experience, helping them to carry out activities to meet local needs themselves and to identify and access local resources to support this. Simple suggestions for effective approaches are provided, with information about why they are recommended. Case studies illustrate successful interventions drawn from SSMP supported districts, demonstrating how each activity has been implemented and highlighting key practical points.

Case study: Community establishes local birthing centre
Rautahat Sub Health Post (SHP) is located in the south west of Saptari, a particularly challenging area, with poor geographical access and low socio-economic status. There are no adequate accessible health facilities for most of the population, and it is very difficult to transfer out emergency cases, due to rough road conditions and lack of transport. The community therefore decided to use their own resources to start a local 24-hour birthing centre. They donated fish ponds to the SHP to raise funds, and the VDC and facility management committee were then able to recruit an ANM and a female peon to provide maternity services. The SHP has now generated sufficient funds to run the birthing centre and the community continues to be very supportive, including providing staff quarters. Deliveries at the SHP are increasing, with an average of 10-15 per month. The Women’s Council network in Saptari has committed to providing an ambulance to serve the South-Western part of the district.
SSMP/ UNICEF programme, Saptari

Click here to view the booklet in English (put in government section of resources, under guidelines and tools).
 

Administrator

19/04/2010