The aim of the project is to increase access to health services for pregnant women, children 0-5 years old and other vulnerable groups. A set of health promotion, prevention and curative intervention is delivered, free-of-charge to the targeted population through a network of 17 hospitals in all 10 departments. The health services being provided include medical examination and consultation, hospitalization fees, medical lab tests, medical prescriptions and medicines. The beneficiaries of the project will be some 3 million indirect beneficiaries of whom half will be pregnant women, newborns and children 0-5 years old. This project is part of Canada’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health commitment.
Results achieved by the end of the project (December 2014) include: (1) free care provided to more than 70,000 pregnant women and 200,000 children under the age of five over a period of 18 months; (2) 71,367 institutional deliveries performed, representing 60% of annual institutional deliveries nationwide; (3) maternal mortality rate reduced to 2.4 deaths per 1,000 deliveries; (4) the majority of institutions have achieved and even surpassed the pre-established targets for obstetric and pediatric care at 103% and 118%; (5) satisfaction regarding the project demonstrated with an overall satisfaction rate of 83.2%, mainly associated with the fact that services were free; (6) innovative project, being the first to use performance-based contracts with a broader approach that not only includes quantitative aspects, but also addresses quality and the strengthening of institutional capacities in hospital settings.
These results helped to increase access to health services for pregnant women, children 0–5 years of age and other vulnerable groups.
