Child deaths in Samarkand hospitals drop rapidly through joint EC and UNICEF support

By Matthew Taylor

Samarkand, Uzbekistan, August 6, 2009 - A baby boy was recently rushed into Samarkand’s Paediatric Hospital Number 1. He was in shock, dehydrated and his arms and legs were cold.

Better diagnoses and improved emergency care is saving young lives in Samarkand.

Dr. Turaev ran rapid all round checks in the entrance hall, provided oxygen, intravenous rehydration and sent him on to the intensive care unit (ICU). ‘Before we would have sent him straight down to the ICU,’ he says, ‘now I’m able to start life saving care faster.’

In an emergency, seconds can mean the difference between life and death.

Joint Ministry of Health, UNICEF and European Commission training is making these seconds count. Medical professionals from Samarkand and 7 other Uzbek’ regions are being trained in the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI). These are low cost, high impact World Health Organisation care techniques.

IMCI training and guidelines help medical professionals swiftly spot and treat dangerous childhood conditions. By following clear, simple procedures, doctors can save more lives and avoid prescribing unnecessary drugs.

In the Samarkand hospital IMCI techniques have helped cut infant mortality. ‘In the first quarter of 2008,’ says Chief Doctor Azizov, ’28 of 370 children that came in died. In quarter one of 2009, after the introduction of IMCI, we lost only 12 out of 378.’

IMCI is just one element in a huge maternal and child health care reform project that will see over 12,000 health professionals trained by late 2010. Seventeen new training centres are also being refurbished and equipped. The project kicked off in July 2008 and the European Commission is providing 3.5 million Euro of a total budget of 3.8 million.

Saving time, saving lives

Respiratory diseases like pneumonia are major child killers in Samarkand. Doctor Azizov says that doctors now diagnose these faster and more accurately. ‘They now diagnose pneumonia through monitoring the child’s breathing; how regular breaths are and the way they breathe. ’ he says. ‘This means we get the kids to the best place for targeted treatment much quicker.’

With doctors better able to diagnose and treat, new triage systems have been put in place. On entering the hospital, children are checked and given red, yellow or green ribbons. Reds are priorities and are swiftly whisked off to specialists.

And mothers are now encouraged to help cure their own children. They’re also kept together while complications are being treated; as a calm child is a far easier child to care for.

The new practices are now included into budding doctors university curricula, so when the training stops, the knowledge keeps saving lives.

Huge health improvement project sees four thousand medical professionals trained in life saving skills

TASHKENT 7 July 2009, officials from UNICEF, the EU and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health met today to mark a year’s progress for mothers and children. By December 2010, 14,000 health workers will be trained in improved maternal and child care. One year in, four thousand of these are already sharing their skills throughout the country.

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes. This project is doing good helping mothers and families,” said William Hanna, Head of Unit for Centralised Operations for Asia and Central Asia in the European Commissions Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid, “It’s an excellent example of what we can do together and it’s a great example of how the EU is helping people and development. I want people at home to fully understand the good work we’re doing here - and I’ll be taking the message back to Brussels with me.” he said.

EC and UNICEF officials open a new maternal and child health training centre in Samarkand

The Improvement of Mother and Child Health Services (IMCHS) project in Uzbekistan was launched in July 2008 with a total budget of almost $6 million, of which the EU provided $5.5 million and UNICEF $450,000.

Today’s meeting, chaired by Mr A. Kamilov, Deputy Minister of health, evaluated progress to date and charted a course for the future.

Beating expectations

The 4,000 medical workers trained to date are now fully capable of sharing the latest practices in emergency newborn care and childcare in maternity wards, polyclinics and primary healthcare facilities. 12 of the 17 planned training centres are already decked out with new kit to ensure quality care.

Dr. Hari Krishna Banskota, UNICEF’s project manager, noted the project’s key achievements and challenges so far. ‘The offer of training and materials was met with overwhelming demand” he said. “So we’re now upping the projected numbers for training from 14,000 to 19,000 by the end of 2010.”

On the home stretch

Partners reaffirmed their determination to see the project through. “The project already spans half the country, yet much more needs to be done. I hope the project will also bring systemic changes into effect” he said

Bringing modern standards into university medical curricula and creating a national certification system for medical institutes and practitioners are some of remaining challenges to meet and beat.

Mr Kamilov, Deputy Minister of Health, called for further cooperation, “we shouldn’t stop at 2010 – if projects such as this continue it will bring Uzbekistan closer to meeting the millennium development goals.”

New training centre opened

To coincide with the one year review Mr William Hanna, from the European Commissions EuropeAid office, inaugurated a new training centre in Samarkand.

Mr Hanna was pleased to note the competent project leadership by the Ministry of Health and met with doctors and project leaders on the ground. They explained how training in the integrated management of childhood illness Protocol (IMCI) has helped to better triage sick children and to make less and better use of drugs for diseases like pneumonia among other successes.
 

Quality maternal and child healthcare to reach remote Uzbek communities

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – 12 May 2009.

In a sweeping set of nationwide healthcare reforms, Uzbek maternal and child health workers in 9 regions are receiving training in international standards to save more mothers and babies lives. The joint Ministry of Health, European Commission and UNICEF project will see nearly 12,000 health workers trained in new techniques by the end of 2010. The emphasis is on ensuring child survival, safe motherhood and improving essential newborn care.

The project kicked off in July 2008, yet the huge training programme is now rolling out to the regions.

In the Eastern region of Andijian staff are being trained in newborn resuscitation, essential newborn care, the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and effective growth development monitoring to better keep track of babies health and development. In the Central Samarkand region, training is underway in the integrated management of child illnesses for both doctors and nurses and the full introduction of the international live birth definition (ILBD). The ILBD provides better data on infant mortality to better address issues in care at the policy level. It is being rolled out nationwide in 2009.

Programmes are also underway in Tashkent city, Samarkand region, Namangan, Syrdarya, Khaskhadarya, Surkandarya, Navoi and Djizzak, thats 9 of Uzbekistan 14 regions.
Seveenteen training centre’s across the country are also being built up from scratch and the new techniques are being included into university medical curricula so future doctors and nurses keep up the good work.

According to UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children 2009, every day around 1,500 women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth globally. Since 1990, the estimated annual number of maternal deaths worldwide has exceeded 500,000. That’s nearly 10 million maternal deaths during the past 19 years.

In Uzbekistan, 99% of births are attended by a health professional and 97% take place in health facilities. There are almost as many maternal and child health workers as in Western Europe. Yet mortality rates are far higher, so it’s all about training professionals to give better care.

For more info, please contact:

Matthew Taylor @ UNICEF mataylor@unicef.org
Tel +998-71-233.9512
Cell +998-93-399.0558