Mark World Prematurity Day on 17th November, with the theme ‘Born Too Soon: Providing the right care, at the right time, in the right place’ and help raise awareness about the issues of premature birth, newborn health and survival.

Every year, 15 million babies are born prematurely – more than one in ten of all babies around the world. World Prematurity Day is a key moment to focus global attention on the leading cause of child deaths under age 5: complications from preterm birth,  which account for nearly 1 million deaths each year (UNICEF). Without a major push to reduce these deaths, we will not reach the global goal endorsed by 193 countries to end all preventable newborn and child deaths by 2030.

Get involved! The Healthy Newborn Network (HNN) has compiled tips for activities, social media content and other promotion material to share your World Prematurity Day experience and plans. Access HNN World Prematurity Day materials

Join a MSH webinar exploring the role of pregnancy clubs as a model to improve quality of care for pregnant women on Wednesday 10 July, at 9 am EST. Register

A growing body of evidence shows that many women in low- and middle-income countries are not getting the respectful, supportive, high-quality antenatal care (ANC) they need and expect. Quality ANC is essential for a healthy pregnancy and has an important role in fostering a positive pregnancy experience.  Group ANC models—pregnancy clubs—are emerging as a promising innovation to improve the quality of care women receive and provide them with information and social support. 

MSH and Scope (formerly M4ID) will share lessons learned from using human-centered design to adapt pregnancy clubs to local contexts in Uganda, Kenya, and Guatemala—as well as results from testing the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of group ANC.

This is MSH’s fourth webinar in its series, “Quality of Care: An Essential Pillar to Achieve Universal Health Coverage for Women, Children, and Adolescents.” 

Photo: Pregnant women await antenatal care services at Apeitolin II, a hard to reach area in Karamoja sub-region, Uganda, in July 2018. © UNICEF/UN0232675/Adriko

If you are at the World Health Assembly:

Join WHO and PMNCH's call to action for 'Every Newborn Everywhere - Closing gaps in neonatal care'.

Date: 23 May 2019, Time: 18:00 – 20:00

Location: Intercontinental Hotel, Geneva

The session will share knowledge and experience for driving progress on newborn health, with special focus on transforming inpatient care of the most vulnerable newborns, those born too small, too soon, and who are acutely ill, particularly in low and middle-income countries and humanitarian settings.

Co-Sponsors include: The World Health Organization, PMNCH and the EWEC Secretariat

RSVP: here

See the invitation

WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the International Convention of Midwives  launched the Framework for action: Strengthening quality midwifery education for UHC 2030. 

When midwives are educated to international standards, and midwifery includes the provision of family planning, it could avert more than 80% of all maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Achieving this impact also requires that midwives are licensed, regulated, fully integrated into health systems and working in interprofessional teams. Yet there is a startling lack of investment in quality midwifery education, despite the evidence of impact. Now is the time to take collective action.

The Framework  is a guide to develop high-quality, sustainable pre- and in-service education to save lives, and includes a seven-step action plan for use by all stakeholders in maternal and newborn health. 

• Download the Framework
• Listen to WHO's Chief Nursing Officer, Elizabeth Iro - setting out the importance of the Framework
• Read more
• If you are attending the World Health Assembly, join the launch of the Framework today, 18:00-19:30, Palais des Nations, Room 23 - see the agenda

Photo: Every woman and newborn should be cared for by a midwife educated to international standards. ©H4+/Sven Torfinn