Countdown to 2015 for Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival

Session 1: Implementation research: What is it, why is it needed and where are we now?

• Anuraj Shankar, WHO Geneva, Dept. of Making Pregnancy Safer
• Wendy Graham, University of Aberdeen, UK                                   

Agenda:

• Introduction:Implementation research: What is it, why is it needed and where are we now? (Chairs)
• Improving impact of community health workers through monitoring and evaluation, Susy Sebayang, Summit Institute of Development, Indonesia
• Research confirms effective management as key to implementing efficacious interventions for child malnutrition, Thandi Pouane, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
• Role of maternal and newborn death audits in strengthening implementation of maternal and newborn health programs, Robert Pattinson, University of Pretoria, South Africa
• Role of implementation research on policy-making and enactment,  Wendy Graham, University of Aberdeen, UK

Panel discussion:

         Speakers plus:

• Mickey Chopra, South African Medical Research Council
• Djamila Cabral, WHO Africa Regional Office

Session 2:   Priority setting for MNCH research - Random, agenda driven or systematically investing in knowledge to save more lives?

Co-chairs:

• Robert Black
• Pius Okong

Agenda:

• Introduction of the session, Co-chairs
• Priority setting for MNCH research and introduction to the CHNRI/WHO systems methods/uses so far, Shams el Arifeen
• Use of a systematic priority setting process for child health research investment in South Africa, Mark Tomlinson
• Priority setting for maternal health research, Lale Say
• Preterm birth and stillbirths – A major gap in global epidemiology and evidence. The size of the problem, gap analysis, Craig Rubens

Panel and plenary discussion

• Cesar Victora
• Rajiv Bahl
• Paul Van Look

Co-Chairs:   

• Atle Fretheim, Research Director, Preventive and International Health Care Unit, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services
• Zoe Matthews, Reader, Department of Social Statistics, University of Southampton

Agenda:

• Introduction of the session,  Chairs
• What is impact evaluation and who should do it?,  Atle Fretheim, Research Director, Preventive and International Health Care Unit, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services
• Building research capacity for process assessments and impact evaluation in Pakistan,  Zulfiqar Bhutta, Professor, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Pakistan
• Importance of country research networks,  Hassan Mshinda, Director, Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre, Tanzania / IN-DEPTH
• Supporting capacity building for health policy and systems research in countries,  Zoe Matthews, Reader, Department of Social Statistics, University of Southampton 
• WHO support for capacity building in research related to MNH in countries, Mario Merrialdi, Coordinator, MNH & Research, Reproductive Health and Research (RHR), World Health Organization (WHO)

09:50-11:50       Breakout Session:  Policy, Resources and Quality of Care for MNCH

Group 1:     High impact MNCH Policy: evidence & experience on the political processes and policy decisions that make a difference

Chair:

• Jeffrey W. Mecaskey, Save the Children International

• Introduction of the session (Chair)
• Financing options & minimizing barriers to access, Bishnu Pandit
• Technological innovation: Process of adoption,  Catherine Sanga
• Social protection and cash transfers,  Oscar Picazo
• Panel Discussion on Policy priorities: 
  Policy Priorities: Evidence requirements, political considerations & other matters in developing policy
• Summary and closure

Chair :  Tessa Tan-Torres, Coordinator, Department of Health Financing, WHO

Agenda

• Introduction of the session (Chair)
• Introduction to the MNCH financing cycle, Henrik Axelson , Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
• Costing and resource tracking for MNCH in Ethiopia, Wendwosen Feleke , Health Care Financing Specialist, Abt Associates, Ethiopia
• The role of civil society in advocacy and monitoring of MNCH commitments, Shaamela Cassiem, Manager of International Training, International Budget Partnership
• Political will, decision-making and fund allocation in the health sector, Melanie Galvin, Manager, Health Systems and Nutrition Programming Sectors and Global Partnerships Branch, Canadian International Development Agency
• Financing mechanisms,  Ok Pannenborg , World Bank
• Discussion and identification of key messages from session

Objectives:

• To review evidence & experience on how changing incentives can affect MNCH service uptake & delivery
• To consider additional requirements for evidence to develop stronger guidance for utilization of result-based financing to increase coverage/utilization of essential MNCH services

Chair:  Dr. Peter Salama, Chief of Health Section, UNICEF, USA

Agenda:

• Introduction of the session, Dr. Giorgio Cometto, Save the Children, UK
• Talk – Experience & Direction for Performance Based Financing in Rwanda, Dr. Solange Hakiba     
• Talk – Experience & Direction for Performance Based Financing in China, Dr. Zhang Bin
• Panel:  Evidence requirements, political considerations & other matters in developing policy to “incentivize” health systems performance
• Summary and closure

Group 4:    Human Resources for MNCH

Chair:  Prof. David Sanders, University of Western Cape, South Africa

Agenda:

• Introduction of the session  (Chair)
• The Malawi strategy for strengthening human resources for health, Dr Chisale Mh'ango, Director Reproductive Health Unit, Malawi
• Enhancing human resources for maternal survival: Task shifting from physicians to non-physicians, Prof. Staffan Bergstrom, Karolinska Institut, Stockholm, Sweden
• Examples of response by Academic Institutions in Southern Africa,
  Prof. Geert Tom Heikens, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi
  Prof. David Sanders, University of Western Cape, South Africa
• Panel discussion: Country and Region-specific strategies to scale-up human resources for MNCH
• Conclusions and Recommendations for feedback to plenary meeting

Group 5:    Quality of Health Services: making the difference

Chair:  Nancy Terreri, UNICEF

Agenda

• Improving Quality of Care for Maternal Newborn and Child Health: Lessons learnt from South Africa, Prof. Stuart Whittaker, South Africa
• Using EmOC Assessments and Appreciative Inquiry to improve referral facility care, Dr. S.M. Asib Nasim and Dr. Monira Parveen, UNICEF Bangladesh
• Ensuring quality in IMCI programming, TBC
• How quality assurance techniques have been used for programme improvement, John Borrazzo and Maria Francisco, USAID

DAY 2: Friday, 18 April 2008- What can be done and how?

09:50-11:50        Breakout Session:  Promoting action within the continuum of care:  What are the issues?

Group 1:  Maternal health: Consolidating the consensus, and bridging

• Universal access to contraception: What is being neglected?, Milka Dinev, Pathfinder International, and ESD Project USAID
• Unsafe abortion: Can it be prevented? mitigated or just made safer?, Kamini Rao, FOGSI and FIGO
• Skilled attendance at birth: can we achieve universal access?, Wendy Graham , University of Aberdeen
• Emergency obstetric and newborn care: Its potential and its challenges, Pius Okong , FIGO – Uganda

• How changing practices saves lives, Shams El Arifeen, ICDDR, Bangladesh
• Senegal delivers essential newborn care through Community Based approaches and Strengthened Facility linkages, Aboubacry Thiam, BASICS Africa
• Malawi scales up care of preterm babies, Evelyn Zimba, Save the Children, Malawi
• Newborn infection management in resource poor settings, Rajiv Bahl, WHO 
• Nepal moves evidence into programme policy: Community based newborn care, Bal Krishna Suvedi, Director Family Health Division, DOHS/MoHP, Nepal
• Discussion and conclusions including a short list of recommendations to feed back to plenary/end of meeting statement

Group 3:  Child Health Issues - Accelerating the coverage of child health interventions

Chair: Elizabeth Mason , Dir. Child and Adolescent Health and Development, WHO

Agenda

Introduction of the session (Chair)

Panel 1: Community management of pneumonia - overcoming barriers to action

• Introduction of the global survey on community-based management of pneumonia , Mikael Ostergren, WHO
• Panel discussion:  Adoption of policies to allow community health workers to treat pneumonia: Considerations and experiences
• Plenary discussion

Panel 2: Using HIV programs as a platform for increasing coverage of child health interventions - overcoming barriers to action 

• Introduction of the global scenario and opportunities , Ngashi Ngongo, UNICEF

Panel discussion: Using global resources for HIV to accelerate implementation of child health programs and to increase access to essential services for children

• Plenary discussion

Moderated discussion

Group 4:   Stopping Child Marriage, Preventing Maternal and Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality

Chair: Purnima Mane, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA

Agenda

• Child Marriage and Maternal Mortality and Mortality, Looking at the Evidence , Laura Laski, Coordinator, Adolescent Youth Cluster, UNFPA
• Addressing Child Marriage in Ethiopia , Monique Rakatomalala, UNFPA Representative, Ethiopia
• Voices of Marginalized and Disadvantaged Adolescent Girls in Guatemala , Marta Julia Ruiz, Pop
• Investing on Adolescent Girls Pays –Findings from Community based Interventions in India , Sunayana Walia, International Center for Research on Women, India

DAY 3: Saturday, 19 April 2008– Situation at Country Level

 Chairs:

• Group 1: Africa (Anglophone): Tigest Ketsela and Rumishael Shoo
• Group 2: Africa (Francophone) : Vincent Fauveau and Genevieve Begkoyan
• Group 3: Middle East & Eastern Europe: Kumar Sanjiv, MIkael Ostergren
• Group 4: Asia: Monir Islam, Ian Pett and Steve Atwood  (Feed back from Asia, Countdown Pakistan, Investment case) 
• Group 5: Latin America:  Andres de Francisco, Laura Laski

Agenda

• Introduction of the objectives of the session (Chair)
• Selection of the chair person and rapporteur for each Regional Group
• Discussion in country teams on concrete actions to accelerate MNCH and next steps after the Countdown Conference in each country
• Address the role of various constituents and stakeholders including Government, development partners, civil society, professional associations
• Country suggestions shared within the Regional Groups – brief highlights of each country.  (Ideas to be captured on flip chart or on overhead projection)
• Discussion on how to take the Countdown process forward through Regional forums, initiatives, networking 
• Conclusions and recommendationsulation Council, Guatemala