DFID fully supports the aims of the African Union Maputo plan of action on maternal health which is consistent with the DFID strategy ‘Reducing maternal deaths: evidence and action'. DFID will continue to work with and encourage partner governments to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services and commodities through DFID funded country programmes, and through regional and global advocacy.
At regional level, DFID works closely with the African Union Commission and other regional partners responsible for the Maputo plan and will continue to do so.
At country level, DFID will continue to work closely with national governments. In Nigeria, DFID has a £55 million programme of support for health system strengthening with a focus on maternal health. The programme works closely with state and federal health ministries and in Ekiti state this support has resulted in a 100 per cent. increase in the number of women who are cared for by a health professional during childbirth. In Burundi, DFID is supporting the Ministry of Health to implement a free health care policy for pregnant women and children under five. In Sierra Leone DFID is developing a 10-year £50 million programme with the Ministries of Health and Finance specifically to improve sexual, reproductive and child health. In Zimbabwe DFID will invest £25 million pounds over five years to improve maternal and newborn health. The project will reduce the number of maternal deaths and reduce the number of children becoming infected or dying from HIV infection.
As set out in DFID's strategy ‘Reducing maternal deaths: evidence and action’, DFID continues to work with partner governments to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services and commodities through DFID funded country programmes, and through regional and global advocacy. Increasingly DFID supports nationally led programmes for essential health services through budget support, as well as specific programmes for improving maternal and child health. For example, in Malawi and Uganda DFID works with national partners to strengthen health services, particularly human resources for health, and is pressing for the expansion of evidence-based sexual and reproductive services.
While reducing maternal mortality remains a major challenge, progress is being made. In Nigeria, DFID has a £55 million programme of support for health system strengthening with a focus on maternal health. The programme works closely with state and federal health ministries. In Ekiti state this support has resulted in a 100 per cent. increase in the number of women who are cared for by a health professional during childbirth. In Kenya a regional safe motherhood programme supported overall health system strengthening and was used to argue for more support to maternal and child health within essential health services programme. In Burundi, DFID is supporting the Ministry of Health to implement a free health care policy for pregnant women and children under five. In Sierra Leone, DFID is developing a 10 year, £50 million programme with the Ministries of Health and Finance specifically to improve sexual, reproductive and child health. The programme will strengthen the health system as a whole and address human resources for health, supplies of commodities, policy planning and financing. It will also contribute towards reducing key social, cultural and economic barriers to accessing basic health services.