Approximately 58,000 women died during or around childbirth in Nigeria in 2015[1] and the proportion of maternal deaths due to indirect causes – such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension and anemia - is increasing in the country. This webinar shared how the project ‘Reducing the Indirect Causes of Maternal Morbidity and Mortality’ (RICOM3) - is testing a quality of care model to reduce the indirect causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in Lagos and the Federal Capital territory, Nigeria.

This webinar presented how RICOM3 leveraged the existing platforms to mitigate service disruption during the COVID19 outbreak with a focus on relaying critical information to women about COVID19 risks during pregnancy, debunk misinformation, and training health workers. The speakers also explained how RICOM3 supported remote learning and coaching to improve the quality of care and reduce maternal mortality.

Part of a series on Lessons from improving quality of care during COVID19, organized by the Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, in collaboration with WHO.

[1] World Health Organization, Maternal health in Nigeria: generating information for action.

© UNICEF/UNI334499/Diarassouba

Summary: 

This webinar presented findings from the Breakthrough Research partnership on respectful care in Kenya and how it might inform interventions to provide respectful care to newborns and young infants during the COVID-19 response. An example from India on the challenges of maintaining respectful care during COVID19 was also shared. A representative from the White Ribbon Alliance also detailed the policy implications of promoting respectful care.

This is the sixth webinar in a series on ‘Delivering quality essential maternal, newborn and child health services during COVID-19’. Quality of care experts will share global guidance and country experiences around quality of care for maternal, newborn and child health in the context of COVID-19. The series is co-hosted by the Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and the QoC subgroup of the Child Health Task Force, with the support of UNICEF and the World Health Organization.  

See the whole series

This webinar  shared what Together for Her, a web- and mobile-based platform developed by Avegen Health and supported by Merck for Mothers to improve maternity health experiences in private facilities, has learnt from the challenges of creating a market for quality of care. Speakers talked about how Together for Her Health has expanded its online rating platform to provide a comprehensive maternal care programme. They also addressed how the online platform was leveraged to support quality of care during COVID-19.

This is the second webinar in a series on ‘Engaging the private sector for quality maternal, newborn and child health care’, co-organized by the Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and the World Health Organization.  

Photo:© UNICEF/UNI90448/Khemka