New Project to Improve Care for Expectant Mothers and Newborns

The Government is implementing a health improvement project for expectant mothers and newborns over the next three years, which will see 86 medical personnel receiving specialized training in critical areas relating to the care of children.

Under the $3.3 billion European Union (EU) funded initiative, training is being done by the University of the West Indies in a number of targeted areas – Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Anaesthesia, Intensive Care, Nursing, Neonatology and Obstetric Ultrasound.

The training will be complemented by other components of the programme, including the provision of equipment, ambulances, infrastructural upgrade to some of the main health facilities, and improvement in the health of expectant mothers, as well as the wider population.

The initiative, Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC), is geared at ensuring that Jamaica meets targets four and five of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which speak to child and maternal health.

Expected results include improvement to six hospitals to deliver care for newborns, quality primary health care services for high risk pregnancies, and referral system improved. Through training, clinical knowledge and skills of health workers should be improved, health education of mothers and the population to be improved, and the role and effectiveness of civil society improved.

Other expected results are: rehabilitation of the entire labour and delivery suite and maternal-foetal area at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, in Kingston; improved referral services with specialized ambulances; strengthening support services for ultrasound diagnosis and laboratory testing in at least one high risk antenatal clinic in each of the four Health Regions, and in two community (rural) hospitals.

Training in specialized areas not previously available in Jamaica, such as postgraduate work in Neonatology, Maternal-Foetal Medicine, Anaesthesiology, ultrasound diagnosis, and  academic research on the causes and risk factors of premature births  are to be undertaken in order to inform policy and programmes for their prevention and management. A short term technical team will be available to provide expertise during the implementation of the project.

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, who addressed the recent official launch of the project, in Kingston, pointed out that the training component of the initiative had started. He emphasized that the Government is intent on having a “seamless” birth delivery system at hospitals and health centres.

“We want to improve the quality of management of high risk pregnancies at both secondary and primary health care. This is in line with Government’s stated policy of having a seamless connection between service delivery at the primary level, and what happens in the hospital. If we can screen for risk factors early, then crises requiring more resources and potential catastrophic consequences can be averted,” the Minister said.

He added that another aspect to promote confidence in the health system is its delivery capacity. “When persons know that they can get the necessary health care and where they can go, then this will indeed improve the population health seeking behaviour regarding maternal and child health,” he told the audience.

Meanwhile, Deputy Dean at the UWI Faculty of Medical Sciences, Professor Minerva Thame, said the partnership among the Ministry of Health, the EU, Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), and the UWI, is one that will be of transformation, where high quality research will inform policy.

“This collaboration is a win-win for all concerned parties, and for public health at large. It will place the Caribbean on the cutting edge of medical care for some of our most precious, yet vulnerable assets -our mothers,” the Professor argued.

She pointed out that the UWI suite of programmes will be expanded under PROMAC. Three new Fellowships will be developed in Neonatology, nine in Foetal-Maternal Medicine, and six in Critical Care. “A course in Obstetric Ultrasound will be developed to train 25 Doctor of Medicine (DM) candidates in specialist ultrasound services.

“Of our existing Doctor of Medicine programmes, a total of 36 scholarships will be awarded to candidates. These training pogrammes will provide highly trained staff to support the High Dependency Units, which will be established islandwide. These will support the thrust towards reducing maternal and infant mortality,” Professor Thame informed.

For her part, Head of the EU Delegation to Jamaica, Ambassador Paola Amadei, said the funding of PROMAC is another clear sign of continued solidarity among the EU, Jamaica and the Region.

She encouraged Jamaica to continue to be a “good performer” with the funding that they have been providing.

Meanwhile, Director General at the PIOJ, Colin Bullock, stressed that the strengthening of human capital in the health system will contribute to national development.

“We look forward to the continued collaboration and implementation of this programme, which augurs well for sustainable inclusive growth and development of Jamaica,” he said.