Rethinking Maternal and Newborn Health Services

In many low- and middle-income countries, women have been encouraged to deliver at the nearest health facility under the care of a skilled birth attendant. However, emerging evidence demonstrates that not all health facilities are equal in their capacity to respond to complications that occur around childbirth.

This discussion responds to the recommendation from the Lancet Global Health Commission on High Quality Health Systems that calls for the redesign of service delivery and prompts us to reexamine maternal and newborn care at the primary level. 

Speakers will discuss:

• Can we guarantee maternal and neonatal safety and quality at low-volume, primary health centers?

• If not, what would a shift to recommending deliveries in high-volume sites, or hospitals only, mean for health systems, communities, and equity?

Featured Speakers and Topics:

• Margaret Kruk, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  • Maternal and neonatal safety and quality at low-volume primary health centers 
• Ousmane Faye, MD, Project Director, Management Sciences for Health
  • Implications for the health system; reflections from Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Michelle Pino, CNM, Indian Health Service
  • Implications for communities and equity
• Barbara Levy, MD, Vice President, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  • Quality maternal and neonatal health from a broader perspective

• Mary Ellen Stanton, Senior Maternal Health Advisor, USAID Bureau for Global Health
  • Closing Remarks
• Catharine Taylor, Vice President, Health Programs Group, Management Sciences for Health
  • Moderator

This event is co-sponsored by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.