Subject: January IHD Monthly Update
From: Diana Silimperi <[email-masked]>
Cc: Sarah Armstrong <[email-masked]>, Liz Nugent <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 16:47:31 +0000

Dear IHD Colleagues,

2014 Greetings! Below is our monthly IHD update outlining recent happenings in the division. As always, we look forward to receiving any feedback you may wish to share with us.

Improving RMNCAH Quality of Care in South East Asia

At the recent Improving Quality of Care for Reproductive-Maternal-Newborn-Child-Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) regional meeting held Dec 16-18 in New Delhi, IHD showcased quality of care project work highlighting the importance of including the private sector in provision of RMNCAH care. Kuhu Maitra represented Abt at the meeting which was focused on reviewing a draft RMNCAH framework for hospitals, facilities, and communities. The meeting was attended by 105 participants from WHO’s South East Asia region including partners from UNICEF, UNFPA, Gates Foundation, professional associations, USAID cooperating agencies, and ministry of health officials. See India’s work to date on the topic at: http://www.unicef.org/india/1._RMNCHAStrategy.pdf

Achieving Large-scale Primary Health Care Accreditation in Jordan

Together with the Jordanian MOH, the Jordan Health Systems Strengthening II (HSSII) project is working to improve the quality of primary health care services by helping facilities achieve accreditation and standards compliance.  By using an innovative collaborative approach, multidisciplinary primary health care teams share experiences and work to understand requirements of accreditation standards to jointly prepare for the accreditation of their health facilities. To date, fifty primary health care facilities have achieved accreditation, a success rate of more than 95%.  Contact: [email-masked].

Gates Foundation Project on Private Sector and Contraceptive Choice Launches

The recently launched Leveraging Private Sector to Expand Contraceptive Choice in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh project aims to increase access to an expanded basket of contraceptives, including DMPA (Depo-Provera® and Depo-Ralovera®), through additional service delivery points, quality product supply, and decreased financial barriers; increase demand for and satisfied use of modern family planning through interpersonal, media, and telephone-based behavior change communication;  pilot interventions to increase access to DMPA in rural areas; and support advocacy efforts by providing evidence on uptake and satisfied use of DMPA. The goal is to increase the modern contraceptive prevalence rate by 8%  including an increase in use of DMPA from 0.1% to 5.0% among married women of reproductive age in UP and Bihar. Contact: [email-masked].

Abt's Innovation Expo 2014 Showcases New Tools

Innovation at Abt fuels our efficiency, competitiveness, and creativity. The second Abt Innovation Expo, held January 14 in Bethesda and January 23 in Cambridge offers opportunities for learning, exploration, and collaboration. Nine innovation stations showcase new tools and capabilities underway throughout the company that might be applied to projects and proposals you work on. Explore, learn, and innovate!

January and Upcoming Events

Jan 28 – HANSHEP (Harnessing Non-state Actors for Better Health for the Poor Health Enterprise Fund) in Ethiopia: Awardee Recognition Event, Addis Adaba ([email-masked])

Jan 31 - Brown Bag lunch on Health Microinsurance in India:  Lessons and Insights; presented by Jeanna Holtz, Chief Project Manager at ILO’s Microinsurance Innovation Facility in Geneva ([email-masked], Health Finance and Economics Technical Work Group)

Feb 12 – Brown Bag lunch on How to Reach More Family Planning and Child Health Users through Contracts with Faith-based Healthcare Providers: The Malawi Experience; presented by Josef Tayag, Health Financing Advisor for the SHOPS project ([email-masked])

SAVE THE DATE!

March 12 – Global IHD Staff Meeting