To improve QoC (Quality of care) around birth, WHO and other partners launched the QoC Improvement Network in February 2017 in Malawi. This network of partners and 9 “first wave” countries (Bangladesh, India and seven countries from the Africa) made a commitment for improving QoC around birth. The participants from India, including Govt. of India nominees and partners – WHO(World Health organisation), BMGF (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), USAID (United States Agency for International Development), UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), academia and professional associations and agencies, also deliberated on a roadmap to improve QoC for Maternal and Newborn health in India.
The network advocates for improving the quality of care through:
- Alignment of National Quality Assurance System with the WHO QoC guidelines to improve maternal and newborn health
- Piloting the District implementation model in selected states/districts
- Enabling Quality Assurance teams at the health care facilities to monitor and implement QoC measures using the PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycle.
This aims to bring in a culture of quality at the facilities to promote positive and sustainable health outcomes. Learnings from these pilots are to be documented for probable scale-up under the National Quality Assurance programme.
