According to Countdown, these countries need much strongerhealth systems, which deliver essential services around the clock. But it foundthat 54 of the 68 countries face critical shortages of health workers needed toreduce maternal and child mortality.
Dr. Mickey Chopra runs a research unit in the MedicalResearch Council of South Africa.
Hesays, ?We?ve got to improve the quality of care in our health systems. Thatdepends on having motivated health workers -- having good supervision. Theymust know what to do, know when to give the right things at the right time.Getting people to do things at the right time means they need to have the rightequipment, knowledge, support to do that ? so this is what the health systemsare all about."
One country that has improved healthcare and loweredmaternal and child deaths is Egypt. From the early 1990s, Egypt realized thebenefits of having a good health care system. It began to improve healthfacilities and also employed more community healthcare workers to provideskilled care for mothers. The workers were sent to visit mothers at their homesand help them with breastfeeding, so the babies get the important nutrientsthey need to thrive. The Egyptian health care system also used mass media toinstruct mothers on childcare, including how to prevent potentially fataldiseases such as diarrhea. Egypt has reduced child mortality by over half -- to130 deaths in 100,000 live births.
Eritrea, a low-income country, has also made progress.There, child and newborn deaths have been reduced by around 4% per year overthe last decade. Basic health services have been improved, including healthservices for the poor.
Joy Lawn is a senior research and policy advisor for theSaving Newborn Live Program of Save the Children-US, which is funded by theGates Foundation. Lawn says Eritrea, Egypt and 14 other countries are reducingchild and mother mortality by taking similar steps:
?Obviously good governance is extremely helpful ? as areconsistent investments in health and particularly investments that target highimpact interventions. So for instance we can invest a lot in health but maybewe?re in the wrong things or investing in the wrong people. We may be justlooking after rich people in large cities but not looking after people in poorareas.?
Many reasons have been cited for poor health caresystems and lack of good care. But health experts say most of the affectedcountries need evidence comprehensive data to improve policies. Health expertssay better data collection on maternal and child health ? and a renewedcommitment by national governments ? should go a long way toward meeting theMillennium Challenge goal of cutting birth-related mortality.