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Healthcare provider injects $2.4mn in maternal, child health programs in Africa

Amref Health Africa, in partnership with its donors and sponsors, will invest a further $2.4million in maternal and child health programmes in Africa, the organization disclosed here on Friday.

The investment is aimed at training 8,000 additional midwives to update their skills in saving the lives of mothers and newborns in eight countries across Africa from 2015-2017.

Dr Githinji Gitahi, CEO of Amref Health Africa has disclosed the additional training will be provided through the organization’s global campaign, “Stand Up for African Mothers.”

The campaign aims to mobilize citizens worldwide to ensure mothers get basic medical care during pregnancy and childbirth.

“Every year in sub-Saharan Africa, almost 200,000 women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. One in 39 women in sub-Saharan Africa is at risk of dying of pregnancy related complications, compared to one in 4,300 in developed countries,” Dr Gitahi said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

Amref Health Africa disclosed they will train these additional 8,000 midwives across eight African countries, namely; Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Senegal, Malawi and Zambia.

This initiative will contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the Proposed Goal 3, which seeks to “increase substantially health financing and the recruitment, development and training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries,” the statement added.

“Unfortunately Africa has a critical shortage of midwives, both in numbers and competencies. The majority of midwives in Africa has only received basic training and requires upgrading or further training to meet global standards for midwifery,” said Gitahi.

APA

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