September 30, 2020
The Government of Karnataka in collaboration with Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT) and University of Manitoba conducted a national workshop, ‘Strengthening Responses to Enhance MNCH Outcomes: Experiences from Karnataka and other High Priority States’, from 2 to 4 February 2016. The workshop, was held to facilitate cross sharing and learning of experiences, innovations, best practices, and challenges with partners in other high priority districts, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The workshop discussions highlighted the need to improve the quality of institutional deliveries, develop job aids for frontline health workers, ensure convergence across sectors in MNCH care, and enhance accountability and community ownership in MNCH programmes.
The workshop focused on two main themes:
Interventions and innovations that address the equity gap by underscoring convergence, community participation, and integration for equitable progress in MNCH status across all target populations were discussed at the event. State and civil society actors jointly explored the possibilities of adopting and scaling up relevant best practices at the national or state levels. Several field-based frontline health workers shared their insights and testimonials on the effectiveness of relevant programmes. Participants deliberated on ways to impact change, and the need to redefine best practices to suit local contexts in the concluding sessions.
Shri. U.T. Khader, the Honourable Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka was the Chief Guest at the event. Over 150 participants including national level officials from the Government of India, state level officials from the National Health Mission and district heads from the Department of Health, Government of Karnataka, representatives from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, government and non-government representatives from MNCH projects in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Orissa, and community health workers from the field attended the event.
