Maternal, child health goals set by aid groups

Canada should contribute at least $1.4 billion over five years in new funding toward maternal and child health programs, aid groups said Tuesday.

CARE Canada, Plan Canada, RESULTS Canada, Save the Children Canada, UNICEF Canada and World Vision Canada put forward their priorities ahead of this week's G8 summit and in conjunction with its initiative on maternal, newborn and child health.

"Our organizations know what it takes to stop preventable child and maternal deaths from decades of working alongside communities — a life-saving basket of interventions delivered by skilled front-line health workers with the support, training and drugs necessary to reach the poorest people where they live," Teresa Chiesa, CARE Canada's program manager for Africa, told reporters.

Every year, 8.8 million children die before their fifth birthday, mainly due to four diseases — pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea and measles, said Meg French, director of international programs for UNICEF Canada.

"What is most heart-wrenching about these deaths is that we know what to do to prevent them," French said.

An international consensus on research suggests the delivery of basic, high-impact health and nutrition services can save the lives of children. The services include treating pneumonia with antibiotics, preventing malaria with insecticide-treated bed nets, treating diarrhea using oral rehydration salts, and vaccinating children, the groups said.

The groups called for:

• More front-line health workers trained, equipped and supported to deliver basic, essential health services in the poorest communities where need is greatest. The workers would link to doctors and nurses in the health system to connect the home and community to the clinic or hospital.
• Deliver basic health-care services focusing on the leading causes of death. For mothers, this includes skilled attendants at birth and immediately after, so women can quickly be referred for emergency care.
• Focus on the poorest women and children where they live, since 80 per cent of deaths of children under five occur within hours or days of delivery at home, with little or no contact with a health provider.
• Commit to accountability and tracking of results over the long term.

International experts estimated a minimum of $30 billion more globally could saves the lives of almost 10 million women and children a year over the next five years.

The groups called on G8 members to increase budgets devoted to maternal and child health to $24 billion over five years in new funds, including at least $1.4 billion by Canada.