Under the agreement in place from 2016 to 2020, over 3,000 ethnic medical staff members and midwives in Dien Bien, Lao Cai, Kon Tum and Gia Lai provinces will build on skills for safe delivery and early essential newborn care and kangaroo care (skin-to-skin technique practiced with newborns).
Communication activities will also be implemented to create a demand for quality medical services among pregnant women, women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, and nursing mothers.
The project sets a target for 80% of pregnant women in the four localities to get at least three antenatal check-ups during their pregnancy while reducing the mortality rate among infants and children aged under 1 year old.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, UNICEF Chief Representative in Vietnam Youssouf Abdel Jelil called for action to avoid preventable reasons which can claim the lives of mothers and infants and to ensure that every baby is born safe and healthy.
He also expressed his belief that the UNICEF Vietnam –Johnson & Johnson partnership would contribute to improving the health and well-being of Vietnamese women and children, particularly in vulnerable communities.
According to Johnson & Johnson Vice President Lauren Moore, activities to be held under the framework of the agreement will support the Vietnamese Ministry of Health’s effort to reduce the rate of death among women and children by helping them get access to quality health care and improving the capacity of medical staff in Vietnam’s four provinces, which have a total population of over 3 million - most of them ethnic minorities.
