To date, a total of 1,071 fetal heart monitors worth US$130,000 have been provided by the UNFPA to help protect the lives of pregnant Vietnamese women.
The medical devices are being distributed to commune medical centres and district hospitals in Central and Central Highlands localities.
Coastal areas in central Vietnam suffered record floods with long-lasting downpours and continuous storms from October 2020, leaving 200 dead. At least 7.7 million locals in the region, including 92,075 pregnant women, were affected.
Naomi Kitahara, Chief Representative of UNFPA in Vietnam, said the medical equipment and supplies will complement the efforts of the Vietnamese Government in responding to natural disasters and ensuring that essential services for pregnant women, newborns and children, especially migrant workers and ethnic minorities, are not disrupted.
Director of the Maternal and Child Health Department under the Health Ministry Nguyen Duc Vinh lauded the UNFPA’s assistance, affirming that protecting people’s health is the top priority of the Vietnamese Government, particularly amidst natural disasters.
The UNFPA is working to ensure the supply of modern contraceptives and reproductive health commodities is maintained and that midwives and other health personnel have the personal protective equipment they need to stay safe. Sexual and reproductive health is a human right. The UNFPA calls upon its partners to support our COVID-19 response to procure and deliver essential supplies to people who are most at risk, such as pregnant women and those at risk of gender-based violence.
The UNFPA is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, working towards a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
