Making a difference in countries: Strategic approach to improving maternal and newborn survival and health
Ensuring skilled care for every birth
Overview
This strategic approach paper sets out a way forward for making pregnancy and childbirth safer for women and their newborns, and accelerating the reduction of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity − especially in the developing world, where 90% of these deaths occur.
The key message in this paper is continuum of care and universal coverage ensuring skilled care at every birth within the context of a continuum of care. "Integrated Management of Pregnancy and Childbirth" (IMPAC) will help shape technical support to countries in strategic and systematic ways to improve maternal and perinatal health. The paper sets out four strategic areas with 12 component approaches to reach the target of assuring skilled care at every birth within the continuum-of-care principle.