The Ministry of Health on Monday launched Safe Motherhood Week to mitigate the risk of infant mortality across the country. The theme of the Safe Motherhood Week “Every Birth Counts: Strengthening Care for Mother and Newborn”.
“I present myself not only as your Minister of Health, but as a lifelong advocate for mothers and newborns, an obstetrician-gynecologist who has witnessed both the joys and the tragedies of childbirth,” Minister Dr. Louise Mapleh Kpoto said in a statement on Monday, July 7.
The Health Minister added: “Our theme reminds us that every birth is precious, and every life matters.”
She furthered that the Safe Motherhood Week is more than a campaign. According Madam Kpoto, Safe Motherhood Week is a solemn call to action and a reminder that no woman should lose her life while giving life, and also no newborn should be denied a healthy start.
“The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Health, reaffirms its unwavering commitment to improving our health system, with a clear focus on reducing maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality.
“We are working tirelessly to strengthen care for mothers and newborns at all levels ensuring that quality, respectful, and timely care is accessible to every woman, every newborn, everywhere,” the Ministry of Health said
She added: “We recognize that the health of mothers and newborns is the foundation of a healthy nation.”
Dr. Kpoto furthered that the Ministry of Health is scaling up efforts to improve emergency obstetric and neonatal care, expand skilled birth attendance, ensure the availability of essential medicines and commodities, and address barriers that put lives at risk.
“Let this Safe Motherhood Week and its theme Every Birth Counts: Strengthening Care for Mother and Newborn renew our collective resolve: to protect mothers, to safeguard newborns, and to build a future where no woman dies giving birth, and no newborn dies from preventable causes,” Dr. Kpoto said.
