This is the goal of the UNFPA Project “Leaving no one behind: Innovative interventions to reduce maternal mortality in ethnic minority regions in Vietnam” which was signed on Friday by UNFPA Representative for Vietnam, Naomi Kitahara.
Funded by MSD for Mothers and MSD Vietnam, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, the USD1.2 - million project is one of the most important initiatives to reduce maternal mortality among ethnic minorities in six provinces in Vietnam’s northern mountainous and Central Highland regions through innovative interventions, paying close attention to special needs of ethnic minority women who are at risk of being left behind in the country’s sustainable development process.
The project will be carried out from 1 September 2021 to 30 September 2024. In addition to financial contributions from MSD for Mothers and MSD Vietnam, UNFPA commits to making its own contributions to the project in the amount of USD 810,000, thus leading to the total project budget of USD2,010,000.
Vietnam has made significant progress in improving sexual and reproductive health of the general population in the past 20 years, and was one of the only six countries in the world, which achieved, in 2015, the Millennium Development Goal - 5 (MDG5) on the reduction of maternal mortality. However, disparities and inequalities remain in access to and utilization of sexual and reproductive health services among different ethnicities and regions. Current evidence shows that while the maternal mortality ratio has declined to 46 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births at the national level, it still remains as high as 100-150 per 100,000 live births in mountainous and ethnic minority regions, particularly in northern mountainous and Central Highlands regions.
The Project aims at increasing access to and utilization of integrated, quality and voluntary sexual and reproductive health services amongst ethnic minorities; improving the capacity on emergency obstetric care management in remote mountainous localities; and building a village-based birth attendant network in remote ethnic minority localities. The Project will also integrate the Covid-19 prevention and control into the existing sexual and reproductive health programme.
Meanwhile, Ms Jennifer Cox. General Director, MSD HH Vietnam said she believed this project would bring tangible benefits to women in Vietnam and set the foundation for communities and societies to thrive for generations to come.
Director of the Ministry of Health's Maternal and Child Health Department, Nguyen Duc Vinh confirmed the support of the Ministry to the project. He added: “To improve the health status of people who left behind including ethnic minorities is the centre of the government’s development agenda. Lessons learned and best practices drawn from this initiative will help the Ministry of Health to effectively implement the national action plan on maternal, neonatal and child health for period 2021-2025 with vision towards 2030 to achieve SDG targets on health care”.
