Validation of maternity guidelines held

A two-day validation on maternity guidelines on Wednesday ended at the NaNA Conference hall in Kanifing.

Speaking at the occasion, the Director of Health Mr. Mamudou Cham said that the validation seeks to put in place certain rules and conditions to bring about uniformity in the operations of health care services in order to reduce maternal mortality rates in the country.

He said the validation would also help them achieve the MDGs 4 and 5 of the Millennium Development Goals.

According to him, the forum is a follow-up to the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) that was last month launched by the Vice-P resident.

For his part, Bafoday Juwara, the Head of the Reproductive and Child Health Programme Unit, said it is a universal concern when it comes to maternal health care, and The Gambia is no exception.

"For us to succeed in this, we must have a uniform way of operation, both in the rural areas and in the urban areas for both private and public institutions, including NGOs and others," he added.

He thanked all their partners in development, especially the WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA.