Population, Health, and Nutrition
The Scaling Up Best Practices project introduced five best practices to save newborn lives in Al-Sabeen Hospital in Sana'a, Yemen. (Photo: USAID Extending Service Delivery Project)
MIDDLE EAST HEALTH PROGRAMS
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, West Bank/Gaza, Yemen, and select nonpresence countries in the Middle East region
CONTACT
Gary Cook
Senior Health Advisor
Tel: (202) 712-0707
Email: gcook@usaid.gov Overview
In the Middle East and North Africa, one in 32 children dies before reaching age five, and one in 1,250 women dies due to complications with pregnancy or childbirth. Water shortages, HIV infection, and weak health systems are also of increasing concern in the region. To help prevent deaths and improve health and well-being, USAID programs strengthen health systems; provide essential training on maternal and child health, family planning, and infectious disease prevention; and assist with the procurement and management of health supplies.
Programs
Keeping Mothers and Their Children Healthy
Throughout the Middle East, USAID bolsters national and local health institutions, helping them scale up "best practices" and deliver services in the areas of maternal, neonatal, and child health and family planning. Activities support and strengthen existing regional networks of health providers from governments and non-governmental organizations. In one district in Egypt, the Ministry of Health introduced postpartum best practices that helped increase exclusive breastfeeding from 31 percent to 88 percent. The percentage of mothers receiving home medical check-ups within two days of delivery rose from 48 percent to 99 percent. In Yemen, a USAID-supported health team introduced a package of postpartum best practices to a government hospital; the success of this effort led Yemen's Ministry of Health to take the lead in developing and implementing a national strategy to scale up the adoption of these best practices by 2012.
Saving Lives with Family Planning
Expanding family planning services is essential to meeting the large need for delaying and spacing births. USAID's investment in innovative family planning programs has led to sustainable partnerships that leverage resources and increase access. In Jordan, USAID succeeded in introducing two new family planning methods, Nuvaring and Implanon, in 2010. To increase the adoption of family planning practices, USAID partnered with Jordan's private pharmaceutical sector to train physicians to address women's misconceptions and fears regarding hormonal contraceptives.
Strengthening Health Systems
A key focus of USAID's work in the Middle East is improving health systems so that they are better able to respond to existing and emerging health threats such as HIV, pandemic flu, and non-communicable disease. USAID assists regional partners working on HIV in the design, planning, monitoring, and implementation of their programs. USAID provided training to Iraq's Ministry of Health in health communications; the training focused on H1N1 and nutrition but can be applied to any health topic. USAID is improving the quality of health care in the West Bank by training public sector providers, rehabilitating public facilities, and developing standards of care for non-communicable diseases.
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