Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MOH) signed off on a project to support heath care for mothers and children on December 27 in Hanoi.

Representatives of JICA and MOH sign off on a project to support heath care for mothers and children on December 27 in Hanoi( Photo: Courtesy of JICA)

Maternal and Child Health Handbook – a Japanese adapted health care project will be carried out next year in the northern provinces of Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, and the Mekong delta province of An Giang.

The project will last for 3 years, starting from January 2011, with total budget of 154 million Japanese Yen (equivalent to US$1.8 million) which will provided by JICA.

Maternal and Child Health Handbook is a comprehensive instruction manual with essential information about the physical and intellectual development of children, from the fetus up to 6 years old.

The handbook is convenient for use and storage, as it replaces existing notebooks and health monitoring graphs, and serves as a continuing record on the health condition of both mother and child.

Mr. Tsuno Motonori, Chief Representative of JICA shared “By using the handbook, women are much less likely to miss their regular checkups. The handbooks help mothers provide accurate information, about the child’s development and vaccination records, for doctors and even schools when necessary”

In Japan the MCH Handbook was developed and used in 1942 under the name of ‘Maternal Handbook’, it became a tool in the hands of every mother to ensure the baby’s health. In 1950s, the infant mortality rate in Japan was 60.1 per 1000 live births, while the ratio in 2002 was 3.0 – one of the lowest in the world. Whereas, the infant mortality rate in Vietnam is 15.0 per 1,000 live births (statistical data from 2008).

Based on Japanese experience, MOH have drafted the Maternal and Child Health handbook, covering four parts: the monitoring of mothers during pregnancy, taking care of mother and child during delivery and after delivery, and taking care of the child until 6 years old.

The JICA project is going to conduct training activities to health staff on the contents, ways of usage and distribution to pregnant women, families with small children, village health workers and volunteers. The most important activity is to promote the utilization of the book at community health centers from antenatal check up, at birth, post partum, neonatal and child health.

After piloting at the four provinces, the Ministry of Health will have a plan for distributing the Handbook nationwide, contributing and improving the health condition of both mother and child, and achieving Millennium Development Goals, as committed by the Government of Vietnam.

Source: SGGP