Public Health Ministry Holds Workshop to Address Maternal and Newborn Deaths

Mawlawi Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister of Health Services at the Ministry of Public Health, participated in the Maternal and Newborn Death Surveillance and Response (MNDSR) workshop.

The workshop, initiated by the Ministry of Public Health’s Directorate of Monitoring and Audit and the Directorate of Reproductive Health, with financial support from the Asian Development Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), was attended by Mawlawi Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister for Health Services; central and provincial ministry directors; Dr. Edwin Ceniza Salvador, WHO Director in Afghanistan; representatives from UNFPA and implementing organizations; as well as health workers.

Mawlawi Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister of Health Services at the Ministry of Public Health, described maternal and child health as a very important and vital issue and called reducing the mortality rate a shared responsibility of all.

Deputy Minister of healthcare services added that it is hoped the workshop will identify the nature and causes of maternal and child deaths, and consider ways to prevent them.

Dr. Enayatullah Enayat, Director General of Monitoring and Audit at the Ministry of Public Health, presented information about the workshop, emphasized the need to collect accurate data, and advise all provincial officials to gather precise data on maternal and child mortality so that the factors can be identified and necessary measures taken to prevent it.

It is worth emphasizing that the MNDSR program has provided maternal and newborn services in twenty-two hospitals across ten provinces of the country and has now expanded these services to seven additional provinces