Financing Maternal Health Services: An overview of approaches, GHC
Presentation given by Laurel Hatt at the Global Health Council September 9, 2010, as part of the Applying Health Systems Strengthening to Global Health Issues Series.
Significant financial barriers to accessing safe motherhood services remain in many developing countries. Maternal health financing strategies can help increase the chance that women deliver with a skilled birth attendant, have access to emergency obstetric care, and are not impoverished by the costs of quality maternal health services. Dr. Hatt provides an overview of several approaches currently being explored, including user fee exemptions, community-based health insurance, national health insurance, and vouchers. Examples and evidence from Ghana, Mali, Kenya, and Bangladesh will be presented.
The upcoming MDG summit at the United Nations will review progress towards all on the UN Millennium Development Goals including the health related MDGs. Member states of the United Nations will also be reviewing a Global Strategy for Maternal and Child Health. The world is significantly behind on reaching goal #5 – reducing maternal deaths worldwide.
