Blog on the 2010 G8\G20: In response to Canada's announcement on championing MNCH
FEBRUARY 2010
By Dr. Dorothy Shaw MBChB, FRCSC
Clinical Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia
PMNCH Spokeperson in Canada
Congratulations to Prime Minister Harper who has demonstrated tremendous leadership in understanding the link between the tragedy in Haiti and the bigger picture of global responsibility in assisting vulnerable populations at the upcoming G8. His announcement that Maternal Newborn Child Health will be the top priority for Canada at the G8 meeting in 2010 is well founded in evidence and builds on previous discussions at the last two G8 summits. In natural disasters some of the most vulnerable populations are pregnant women, estimated at 37,000 in Haiti, as well as their newborns and young children. The global outpouring of support is both essential and gratifying.
Unlike Haiti, a natural disaster that was not preventable, lives are being lost avoidably every day, lives that can be saved by known solutions that are not complex. Hundreds of thousands of lives that could be saved every day, are being lost. With a global financial commitment from the G8, building on Canada’s leadership, we could aim to save the lives of over 10 million women and children by 2015. These same initiatives, for no increased cost, could prevent another 20-fold number of women from suffering life-altering complications of pregnancy as well as newborn and child health problems.
To date, there has been some progress in reducing child mortality and Canada can be proud in the role it has played in the lives of children saved by the Catalytic Initiative funding. However, as pointed out by Mr. Harper, progress globally has been minimal in addressing maternal and newborn health. Gaps in maternal and newborn health, as well as child health, could be closed and millions of lives saved with highly cost-effective investments at an estimated total additional program cost ranging from $2.5 billion in 2009 to $5.5 billion in 2015.
Political leadership and financial commitment are an essential first step. Accountability at all levels will underpin credible results. The G8 this year in Canada, hosted by a visionary Prime Minister, is poised to make a landmark contribution to Millennium Development Goal 5, to reduce maternal mortality by 75% by 2015 as well as to reduce child mortality (MDG 4). Together with community engagement and the expertise of PMNCH we can make every pregnancy wanted, every birth safe and every newborn and child healthy.
Dr. Dorothy Shaw MBChB, FRCSC
Clinical Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia
Canada spokesperson for the G8/G20 to PMNCH, a global health partnership that joins the maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) communities into an alliance of more than 300 members to ensure that all women, infants and children not only remain healthy, but thrive.