Within the framework of the IbnSina Health Capacity Building Programme (IbnSina-CaB), SESRIC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Kingdom of Morocco and the COMSTECH successfully organised a Training Course on “Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Care in OIC-Africa Countries” on 5-6 December 2024.

The training course aimed to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and good practices in maternal and child health through exploring challenges and opportunities in providing effective maternal and child health services. It also explored various strategies for improving care, decreasing the number of preventable deaths, optimizing resources, and meeting the overall needs of women and children across OIC and African countries.

A total of 32 experts from healthcare institutions across 13 OIC countries benefitted from the activity, engaging in discussions that highlighted challenges in childhood development, health-seeking behavior, ante-natal care, and the availability of skilled professionals, emergency care, and heat-stable medication in rural areas. One of the main challenges identified was accessibility to healthcare services in rural areas, and initiatives such as mobile clinics in Pakistan have proven to be beneficial in providing ante-natal care in areas with limited facilities.

The course provided valuable insights and good practices, emphasizing the need for clear and solid national health policies as well as strengthening partnerships with the private sector and civil society.

The training course covered the following key topics:

• Morocco's Experience in Reducing Maternal and Infant Mortality;
• Maternal Death Surveillance and Response System in Morocco;
• Strategies and Actions in Controlling the Rapidly Growing Population in Pakistan;
• Early Childhood Development as a Real Lever for Sustainable Development;
• Improving Maternal and Child Health Outcomes: Addressing Challenges and Exploring Effective Strategies.

The presentations of the training course are available here.

For more details about the IbnSina-CaB and its activities, please visit https://www.sesric.org/cbp-hcab.php.

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