Dear Members and Friends,
The challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 pushed all Network countries and partners to adapt and innovate to ensure the continuity of MNCH services with quality. What has emerged have been incredible efforts of learning, adaptation, adaptability to ensure quality of care for MNCH. Throughout the year, the Network countries have continued to identify and test solutions to old and new problems. During the webinar series Delivering essential quality MNCH services during COVID-19, organized in collaboration with the Child Health Task Force and UNICEF, countries and partners have been sharing lessons from improving quality of care during COVID 19.
2021 holds much promise and expectation for the Network activities. National Quality of Care Fora will take place throughout 2021 and will provide a venue to share learning and experiences in quality improvement. The fora will also document the impact to date and look to the next steps needed in each country to act creatively and determinedly to ensure that mothers and babies receive quality care when they need it.
Work that started in 2020 will continue in 2021. We will continue to build on and leverage the enthusiasm regarding sharing learning among countries and partners. New WHO guidance for Integrating stakeholder and community engagement in quality of care initiatives for MNCH and the Standards for improving the quality of care for small and sick newborns in health facilities will be operationalized as part of the implementation of the Network. Countries will continue to implement quality of care interventions and will start to share data from learning districts. The Quality of Care Common Indicators Data Platform will go live in tandem with orientating Network countries on using the platform as a key monitoring and evaluation tool. Further key agendas earmarked for expansion in 2021 include; advancing the quality of pediatric care and communities of practice for community engagement and for private sector engagement.
We wish you a safe, restful and peaceful end to 2020 and look forward to continued collaboration and partnership to meet challenges and opportunities that await us in 2021.
Season’s Greetings from The Quality of Care Network Secretariat.
