Project Lead(s): Gail Tomblin Murphy
Issue
Due to high rates of stillbirth and poor MNCH, Jamaica’s Ministry of Health has been committed to building health system capacity to ensure mothers and newborns have the best possible health outcomes.
Solution
The Helping Babies Survive (HBS) project aimed to integrate health workforce planning and health service capacity to provide essential care to newborns and mothers.
The project identified service areas with the greatest needs by analyzing the capacity of health facilities to provide neonatal care during different levels of daily workflows:
- Average day – 21 births per day with 2 higher needs babies
- Busy day – 35 births per day with 3 higher-needs babies
- Higher-needs day – 21 births per day with 6 higher needs babies
The program trained ‘Master Trainers’ and healthcare providers to improve care capacity and overall skill level.
Outcome
Integrating health service and workforce planning enabled decision/policy-makers to effectively utilize their workforce to meet care demands. The project observed a greater capacity for team-delivered care for neonates and women.
Over 9 months, the HBS program trained and enhanced the skills of 14 Master Trainers and 39 healthcare providers.
The study of daily workflows and capacity found:
- On an ‘average’ day: requirements for newborns exams, handwashing, and breastfeeding support were unable to be met
- On a ‘busy’ day: there are further shortages of services
- On ‘higher-needs’ days: care requirements are pronounced
Building capacity of facilities through workforce allocation and skill building has proved to improve the confidence of health workers and their ability to meet the needs of women and children.