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Maternal Health Innovations: Improving Access to Care

Posted on March 2, 2016October 12, 2016

By: Kayla McGowan, Project Coordinator, Women and Health Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Facilitating access to quality care—whether by addressing structural barriers, constructing key messages, or strengthening decision-makers—is the crux of improving maternal and newborn health. This includes assessing current community needs, working with community members and leaders to develop interventions, and working through anticipated challenges.

The Maternal Health Innovations Fund, an MHTF project, recently supported several projects in collaboration with The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and Pakistan’s Agha Khan University (AKU) that investigated the issue of access to care in a variety of contexts.

Icddr,b and AKU have published 10 knowledge briefs summarizing findings from their recent maternal health research that took place in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Southern Kyrgystan, and Pakistan. The knowledge briefs identify urgent needs in maternal health, highlight improvements in the field, and offer recommendations for addressing gaps in access, quality, and measurement of care based on the implementation research conducted under this project.

Five of the projects were focused on improving access to care:

  • Digital blood management system: Making blood transfusion more accessible at public hospitals of in Bangladesh
  • Improving communication and transportation linkages improves utilisation of health facilities in Sindh, Pakistan
  • Can redirecting mothers and newborns to different levels of service improve care in Kyrgyzstan?
  • Determinants and barriers to healthcare seeking for pregnancy and childbirth in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan
  • Area-based mortality reviews to identify gaps in maternal healthcare in Afghanistan

Learn more about the Maternal Health Innovations Fund and read the rest of the knowledge briefs >> 

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CATEGORIESCATEGORIES: Maternal Health
TAGSTAGS: Maternal Health Innovations Fund
TOPICSTOPICS: Antenatal Care Education Facility-based Births Health Systems Policy & Advocacy Postpartum Hemorrhage Social Determinants
GEOGRAPHIESGEOGRAPHIES: Afghanistan Bangladesh Kyrgyzstan Pakistan

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The posts on this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of the Maternal Health Task Force. Our objective is to provide a platform for our Editorial Committee and other experts to post a myriad of data and evidence, as well as opinions/views that exist in the field which will contribute to expanding the maternal health dialogue.
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MATERNAL HEALTH TASK FORCE

Harvard Chan School Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health
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This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant T76MC00001 and entitled Training Grant in Maternal and Child Health. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
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