MCHI achievements
Our achievements include the following:
- At all the project institutions, births now take place in individual delivery rooms. This enables a significant other (according to the woman’s choice, a husband, partner, parent or friend) to be present during delivery.
All the postpartum units function according to the ‘mother and baby’ principle. The baby and the mother are not separated from each other, with the exception of those cases when the condition of one of them requires intensive therapy or transfer to another institution.
- Exclusive breastfeeding of newborns—the international standard of care—is a method of feeding babies which has become the only acceptable one at the facilities which take part in the project. Utlilzing evidence-based practices has resulted in significant cost savings for participating facilities.
- Friends and family members have free access to visit the woman and child in the postpartum room at most facilities
- The percentage of deliveries classified by WHO as ‘normal’ has increased to 50-60%; the number of interventions and medications prescribed during pregnancy, delivery and in the postpartum period has decreased by two or three times. At the same time the maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality at WIN/MCHI facilities are decreasing nearly 2 times faster than in Russia in general.
- The rate of satisfaction among patients of maternity hospitals, maternity consultation clinics, gynecological units and children’s polyclinics regarding the care received has increased by an average of 20-30%.
- The microclimate in the workforce teams has improved. At institutions which take part in the project creative teams have been formed which include people sharing common values and actively promoting positive changes.
The achievement of these successes has been facilitated by ongoing support from leaders at all levels, including the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation, regions, individual health care institutions, and providers.
