Health Care Professionals: Workshops documented and continued on national level
11 MAY 2009 | OUAGADOUGOU - The first national meeting of HCPs to follow-up from the Regional HCP meeting in 2008 took place in Burkina Faso on 11-12 May 2009
The First Lady and wife of the Prime Minister, Mrs Priscille Zongo, opened the national health care professional meeting, and re-iterated her call for an end to unnecessary maternal and child deaths which she first voiced at the Regional workshop hosted by The Partnership in Ouagadougou last year.
Organized by the Burkina Faso Network of Health Care Professionals for Maternal and Child Health, the national Workshop brought together more than 65 representatives of national health care professional associations, the government and local development partners.
This national meeting allowed participants of the regional HCPA meeting a chance to share with their constituents:
- the Regional meeting outcomes,
- the current situation of MNCH in Burkina Faso,
- recommendations on how HCPAs can better support the achievement of MDGs 4 and 5 to improve maternal and child health,
- information about available support from partners and information about progress on the two year action plan developed during the Regional meeting and leg.
This national initiative follows the regional HCPA workshop in Burkina Faso, organized by the Partnership in 2008 entitled: The role of health care professional associations in achieving MDGs 4 and 5, which has contributed to the strengthening of linkages between the different professional spheres and created a platform for collaboration among HCPAs and between HCPAs and different health partners.
The regional workshop brought together representatives of health care professional associations and the governments of Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Niger and Senegal (with Haiti as an observer) and other development partners from the region in a discussion on the ways in which health care professionals could increase their contribution to the advancement of maternal, newborn and child health.