Gates Foundation Commits $1.5 Billion to Maternal and Child Health
On Monday, Melinda Gates announced at the Women Deliver conference that the Gates Foundation is committing $1.5 billion to maternal and child health programs over the next five years.
Apparently these funds will be different from the usual disease-focused programs, instead supporting more integrated services for women, including family planning, prenatal care, nutrition, newborn care, and more. Training health workers on a package of services, instead of just a single intervention here and there, is also part of this funding. Other areas include development of simpler antibiotics for newborn infections and research into health promotion, such as for kangaroo care and use of family planning services.
This is good news, as it draws attention to maternal and child health and is promoting a holistic view of health for women and children. We hope that at least some of these funds will be able to support services by Ministries of Health, which are often the first--if not the only--point of care for millions of poor women worldwide.
You can read more in this Seattle Times article, including a quote from Steve Gloyd, our Executive Director.
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