This webinar highlighted the need for improved providers’ competencies to ensure high quality, people-centered and responsive care is provided to newborns, children and their families. This webinar shared findings from a formative study conducted in two counties in Kenya on the manifestations, responses, and consequences of mistreatment of sick newborns and young infants and their parents in health facilities. The 'Respectful Maternity Care Charter: The Universal Rights of Women and Newborns' was presented as framework to support health care workers to deliver quality care and empower care seekers to demand respectful and dignified care, which can be expanded to the rights of children.

This webinar was co-hosted by the Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and the Quality of Care subgroup of the Child Health Task Force.

Top photo credit: © UNICEF/UN0261809/van Oorsouw

Access the Dashboard here

A user-friendly dashboard to help countries to regularly monitor their progress and make evidence-based decisions about priority areas for action and resource allocation for children’s health – was launched by WHO, UNICEF and CAP2030. This webinar event showcased the dashboard, shared the conceptualization process and provided a vision and recommendations on the potential use and benefits of this dashboard in improving accountability for children’s rights.

Session plan:

Moderator: Dr Theresa Diaz, Unit Head, Epidemiology, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing Department, WHO Geneva

Part 1: Welcome & Introduction

Welcome & Introduction: Dr Anshu Banerjee, Director, Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolscent Health, and Ageing, WHO Geneva

Opening remarks: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General

Introduction of the Dashboard: Prof Anthony Costello, Professor of Global Health and Sustainable Development, University College London

Conceptualization journey & demonstration video:

• Dr Jennifer Requejo, Senior Advisor, Health and HIV, Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring, UNICEF
• Gerard Lopez, Data Specialist, Epidemiology, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing Department, WHO Geneva

Part 2: Using the Dashboard

Reflections: Helga Fogstad, Executive Director, PMNCH

Panel discussion:

• Dr Tanya Doherty, Chief Specialist Scientist, Health Systems Research Unit, SAMRC, CAP2030 South Africa
• Dr Kwame Sakyi,Program Director for Children in all Policies, CAP2030 Ghana
• Dr John Borrazzo, Lead Advisor Child Health, Department of Global Health, Save the Children US
   

Testing Options & Dashboard Refinement: Srivatsan Rajagopalan, CAP2030

Part 3: Questions & Answers

Closing remarks: Dr Vidhya Ganesh, Director, Division of Data, Analytics, Planning & Monitoring, UNICEF

This webinar was co-hosted by WHO, UNICEF, PMNCH, and CAP2030.

Too few midwives and other health professionals are getting the education and training they need to provide quality, respectful care to pregnant women and their newborns as well as women needing family planning, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, safe or post abortion care, including perinatal mental health support. A key solution is to invest in the transformation of midwifery education through the first global Interprofessional Midwifery Education Toolkit. The “Toolkit” will bring together in one place education and training materials for maternal, newborn, sexual, reproductive and perinatal mental health for midwives, and others providing elements of midwifery care.

The Essential Childbirth Care Course (ECBC) is focused on the midwifery model of care, which puts women, newborns and their families at the center, ensures continuity of care, and prevents unnecessary interventions, yet ensures lifesaving actions. The ECBC provides innovative, fun, and challenging in-service adult education for the care of healthy women, and their healthy newborns, but is also available as an addition to pre-service education. It supports life-long learning in compassionate midwifery care in all settings, everywhere.

Session plan:

Welcome and Introduction: Dr Anshu Banerjee, Director, Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, and Ageing, WHO Geneva

Opening remarks: Dr Tedros Gabreyesus, WHO Director General

Further remarks: Right Honorable Amanda Milling MP, Minister for Asia and the Middle East, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK

Panel discussion: Facilitated by Fran McConville, Technical Officer Midwifery, WHO Geneva

• Sheena Currie, Jhpiego
• Pragati Sharma, WHO consultant
• Indie Kaur, Fernadez Hospital, India
• Rashmi Aradhya, Laerdal Global Health
• Fatima Gohar, UNICEF
• Kaveri Mayra, WHO consultant
• Florence West, WHO
• Margaret Phiri, WHO consultant Malawi
• Sarah Bar-zeev, UNFPA

Coming soon: The WHO Academy distance learning activities: Elisa Roma, WHO Academy

Remarks from partners:

• Harriet Nayiga, ICM Young Midwife Leader Alumni member
• Dr Mary-Ann Etiebet, AVP, Health Equity Lead, MSD for Mothers
• Sarah Thomsen, Lead Specialist Health and SRHR, Sida
• Robyn Churchill, Maternal Health Team Lead, USAID
• Anna Af Ugglas, Education Lead, Laerdal Global Health
• Janhavi Nilekani, Chairperson and Founder, Aastrika

Closing remarks: Elizabeth Iro, WHO Chief Nurse, and a midwife

This webinar was hosted by the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, and Ageing, WHO Geneva.