CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT
Preventing Mortality from Postpartum Haemorrhage in Africa:
Moving From Research to Practice
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4 to 7 April 2006
Imperial Resort Beach Hotel
Entebbe, Uganda
The Access to Clinical and Community Maternal, Neonatal and
Women's Health Services (ACCESS) Program is organizing a confer-
ence to address the prevention and treatment of postpartum haem-
orrhage (PPH) in Africa-to be held from 4 to 7 April 2006 at the
Imperial Resort Beach Hotel in Entebbe, Uganda.
Severe bleeding after childbirth is the largest cause of mater-
nal mortality, accounting for at least one-quarter of maternal
deaths worldwide. In Africa, PPH contributes to an even higher
proportion of maternal mortality.
To address this serious issue, the International Federation of
Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the International Confed-
eration of Midwives (ICM), in collaboration with the U.S. Agency
for International Development Office of Health, Infectious Dis-
eases and Nutrition (USAID/HIDN), issued a joint statement en-
couraging nations to pursue evidence-based PPH prevention prac-
tices. USAID also launched a PPH Global Initiative in November
2003.
The conference will provide opportunities to hear about state-
of-the-art interventions, explore innovative approaches, discuss
challenges in bringing about such care to vulnerable popula-
tions, participate in skills enhancement sessions, debate pro-
gram approaches, and plan for concerted actions. Participants
will also have time to reflect on how this new learning would
apply to their own settings and develop specific actions to con-
tribute to the reduction of, and mortality from, PPH in the Af-
rica region. The conference is not intended to lead to the im-
plementation of a vertical approach to programming but rather
increase emphasis on the leading cause of maternal death. This
meeting will gather leading clinical experts, program managers,
and reproductive health professionals to highlight the major
causes of maternal death and propose solutions that can be inte-
grated within existing maternal health programs.
The goal of this conference is to advance programming in African
countries to prevent and treat PPH in facilities and in the com-
munity in support of the Millennium Development Goal to reduce
maternal mortality by 75% by 2015.
Objectives
The objectives of this conference are to:
* Review the evidence that supports strategies for prevention
and treatment of PPH in health care and home birth settings by
skilled providers as well as by community health workers and the
family;
* Examine best practices for implementing large-scale programs
for preventing and treating PPH; and
* Develop action plans to prevent and treat PPH at facility and
community levels using evidence-based approaches and program
best practices.
This conference will bring together country teams composed of
leading experts, program managers, and safe motherhood profes-
sionals from throughout the continent. It is also hoped that
representatives from USAID missions and international organiza-
tions including the World Health Organization (WHO), United Na-
tions Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), World Bank and the Department for International Devel-
opment (DFID), as well as non-governmental (NGO) and faith-based
(FBO) organizations will participate. The conference will be of
particular value to donor and technical assistance agencies, bi-
lateral programs, and professional associations who support safe
motherhood programs.
Country Teams
This announcement seeks your participation as well as your sup-
port for participants from countries in which you have programs.
We hope that each country will send a team comprised of at
least:
* One high-level Ministry of Health decision-maker
* One senior-level midwife*
* One physician/obstetrician*
* One safe motherhood program manager from a rural or remote setting
* One trainer/educator
* One participant representing a leading NGO or FBO
(* = At least one representing a leading teaching institution)
Please make sure that the people on the country team also repre-
sent one or more of the following:
* Medical, nursing and midwifery professional associations
* Social mobilization/community organizations
* FBOs
* Health care NGOs
ACCESS and Partners
The workshop is being organized by the ACCESS Program in full
partnership with the Regional Centre for Quality of Health Care
(RCQHC), the East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA) Health Se-
cretariat and the Prevention of Postpartum Haemorrhage Initia-
tive (POPPHI)- and in collaboration with USAID/Washington and
USAID's regional offices, the Regional Economic Development Sup-
port Office (REDSO) and the West Africa Regional Program (WARP).
The ACCESS Program is the U.S. Agency for International Develop-
ment's global program to improve maternal and newborn health.
JHPIEGO implements the program in partnership with Save the
Children, Futures Group, the Academy for Educational Develop-
ment, the American College of Nurse-Midwives and Interchurch
Medical Assistance.
POPPHI is a USAID-funded project that seeks to expand Active
Management of Third Stage of Labor and other interventions to
reduce PPH worldwide. The RCQHC provides leadership in building
regional capacity to improve the quality of health care in Af-
rica by promoting better practices through networking, strategic
partnerships and education. As the implementing arm of the ECSA
Health Community, the ECSA Health Secretariat fosters and pro-
motes regional cooperation in health.
More Information
For additional conference information, please contact
Jackie Frazier
Tel: +1-410-537-1991
Fax: +1-410-537-1473
mailto:pphconference@accesstohealth.org