Since 2020 LSTM has been working with the State Ministries of Health in Kaduna and Oyo and the State Primary Health Board in Kaduna (SPHCB) to improve maternal and child health by integrating quality HIV, TB, and malaria services in antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC). The Global Fund programme with funding from Takeda Pharmaceuticals aims to strengthen the provision of services for mothers and babies, and by that contributing to improving the health outcomes in the states of Kaduna and Oyo.
In Oyo State over 400 healthcare providers have been trained to date in ANC and PNC which covers the physical, mental and social aspects of maternal and newborn health. The training focuses on evidence-based screening, therapeutic interventions and health promotion during and after pregnancy. It also supports healthcare providers regarding how they can provide respectful maternity care and screen for and manage domestic violence and depression during and after pregnancy. The programme has also trained 90 HCPs in Quality Improvement (QI) to help strengthen a culture of QI in ANC and PNC while integrating HIV, TB and Malaria. The QI training also builds capacity for standard-based (clinical) audit in ANC and PNC. To complement the capacity building the 60 focus healthcare facilities (HCF) in Oyo state received essential equipment and supplies that are essential for the delivery of the components of ANC and PNC including HIV, malaria and TB in line with national and international standards.
The strengthened services and the respectful care provided to the mothers and babies at the ANC and PNC clinics in the HCFs has contributed to the increase in women attending the PNC clinics. At the start of the programme in 2020, 8,000 women returned to healthcare facilities for PNC and currently there are 24,000 women returning for PNC. All women are offered screening for HIV & Malaria and intermittent preventative therapy (IPT) for Malaria which has increased from approximately 20,000 women receiving IPT to 48,000 women.
The programme in Oyo states continues with training of mentors who will work with healthcare providers to enhance their skills in areas such as assessment and recognition of danger signs in patients, provision of ANC and PNC, emergency obstetric and new born care, quality of care such as audit, using data to improve care, respectful care and respectful midwifery.