The Ministry of Health and Wellness has embarked on a national campaign aimed at encouraging more expectant women to access healthcare in order to improve health outcomes for both mother and baby.
The digital launch of the initiative, dubbed ‘Healthy Baby, Healthy You: Healthy Body is a Mus’…Clinic is a Mus’, took place on Tuesday (June 23).
It is being undertaken through the European Union (EU)-funded Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC) and is being executed by the National Family Planning Board (NFPB).
Among other things, the campaign seeks to educate and increase awareness about the importance of healthcare interventions, before, during and after pregnancy, in order to reduce maternalmortality.
It will also address issues identified as the main contributory factors to the high number of maternal deaths.
These include presenting late to antenatal clinics and delivery hospitals, poor management of non-communicable illnessessuch as diabetes (sugar) and hypertension (high blood pressure and risk factors such as obesity, and poor nutrition and low activity levels.
The campaign targets all women of childbearing age, particularly those 35 years and older, and their partners.
In his remarks at the launch, portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said the campaign is important and is in keeping with the Government’scommitment to reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by the year 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He noted that work to achieve this objective is being supported through funding under the PROMAC initiative.
