UNICEF: Mother and Child Health Week amidst crisis in Madagascar

UNICEF: Mother and Child Health Week amidst crisis in Madagascar Video Clips. Duration : 2.62 Mins.

www.unicef.org ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, 8 November 2010 -- People are getting poorer by the day in Madagascar, and there is no real safety net for them. The country is in the midst of a political and financial crisis, following last year's violent coup. Funding cuts by international donors have hit the social welfare system, especially health services, hard. Meanwhile, the suspension of international trade agreements has devastated the economy. Over the last year, more and more health centres have been forced to close their doors, depriving local populations of vital services. Centres that have remained open tend to be under-stocked and understaffed; many lack antibiotics and other medicines, such as the life-saving drug oxytocin, which is used in childbirth. UNICEF Representative in Madagascar Bruno Maes said the crisis has profoundly weakened basic health services, leaving parts of the system in danger of collapsing. UNICEF and its partners launched Mother Child Health Week at the end of October despite the dire circumstances and the withdrawal of government support. While mothers were encouraged to bring their children to health centres, teams of outreach workers brought health services to more than 4 million people.

Keywords: UNICEF, Madagascar, Mother, Child, Health, Week, survival, and, development, Immunization, Nutrition, 9492