Maternal & Child Care
Women are often the pillars that hold families together and play a key caregiving role in the community. Investing in maternal and children’s health is a way to improve overall community health and drive economic development in Africa. This has lead many establishments to explore ways to address maternal and child health issues.
Maternal Care Subsidy Program
In an effort help Nigeria achieve UNDP Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, RCN is working with the public and private sector to initiate the Maternal Care Subsidy Program (MCSP). Previous efforts to improve maternal health were met with the stark realization that many women cannot afford to pay for such services, given the high cost to income ratio. Through MCSP, RCN will work with state and national government officials to help subsidize fees related to maternal and child care. In addition, RCN will work with international health organizations to ensure the highest quality care at the lowest possible cost.
RCN Maternal and Child Health care unit focuses on the following:
Antenatal care, delivery, postnatal care and family planning, which will provide a continuum of care for mothers and their newborn in the rural area of Anambra State from pregnancy until after the child is 1 year old.
Since cost is a major barrier for seeking maternal and neonatal services, RCN is proposing a 5 year partnership with the Anambra State government to subsidize the cost of maternal and child healthcare services by up to 50% and provide medication assistance to approximately 1000 women in Anambra State to maintain their health.
2008 Anambra State newborn health data profile:
- Total annual births are 180,000; annual number of neonatal deaths is 9,100
- Annual number of under five deaths is 28,000
- Annual number of maternal deaths is 1000
- Contraceptive prevalence rate is 17%
- Postnatal care within 2 days is 14%; immunizations is 71%