Sharing knowledge to create lasting change

Over a billion people live in India, a country that has many successes to celebrate and many challenges to tackle. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is an issue that not many people are aware ofmaternal and child health care. India accounts for more than a quarter of all newborn deaths in the world. 78,000 mothers and a million babies die each year, often from largely preventable causes. Yet, in a country where the majority of the population is fighting for the basics of survival, this important issue often takes a backseat.

The Indian government is certainly doing its bit to tackle this dire situation. Schemes such as the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the soon-to-be launched National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) aim to improve the availability of and access to quality health care for those on the lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder. Government-sanctioned and community-based Accredited Social Health

Activists (ASHAs) are trained to bring communities and health services closer, and Village Health and Sanitation Committees (VHSCs) liaise with district authorities to ensure that health care needs are being met.

Where the government’s efforts fall short, various international and local organizations are doing their best to lend a hand and ensure the effective implementation of these schemes.

In India, there is no dearth of inspiring initiatives that are working toward improving conditions for mothers and their children. However, apart from a few government reports, none of the data and knowledge from these initiatives is being collected in any systematic or accessible fashion. As a result, any new project being implemented in the country has to start from scratch, as there is often no precedent or reliable wisdom to consult and use as a foundation to build upon.

A project called Sure Start—a five-year initiative based at PATH, an international not-for-profit organization supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—recognizesthis gap and has created a unique Management Information System (MIS) that allows organizations to collect data on various maternal and child health care indicators and

services. The MIS is a long-lasting pool of collated knowledge that can be accessed by relevant personnel.

It has certainly helped the 95 local and national partners in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra that the project works with. For instance, in Maharashtra, the system tracks approximately 22,000 pregnant women across seven cities. It stores data on indicators such as number of home visits, number of expectant mothers contacted for behavior change communication, percentage of expectant mothers who have received the tetanus toxoid vaccine, and percentage of births that take place in institutions. Systems such as the MIS areinvaluable for collecting much needed data on the issue of maternal and child health care—especially because a bank of accurate and precise data can inform effective policy making, which in turn can effect tangible change.

Sure Start works to educate women in India on maternal and neonatal health. Sure Start, an initiative by PATH, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to promote safe childbirth practices in India. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sure-Start-Project-by-Path/178629192101Twitter: http://twitter.com/pathsurestart