Workshop in Lahj tackles reproductive and neonatal healthcare

The first workshop for the preparation of a work plan on reproductive health and neonatal (RHN) care started last week in the Lahj governorate. Some 44 participants attended the workshop, including managers from public health clinics and doctors, that was sponsored by UNFPA the Ministry of Public Health and Population, and UNICEF.

During the three-day long workshop, participants received topical information related to RHN and the results from a study of the needs for the emergency delivery project, family planning, evaluation of the Maternal and Neonatal Health project (MNH), along with qualitative evaluations of healthcare services on the national level.

In the opening ceremony Abdulwahab Al-Dorah, the governor of Lahj, presented a speech where he asserted the importance of paying attention to the preparation of a programmatic work plan so that the best possible healthcare services can be made available for mothers and newborns throughout the Lahj governorate, especially in rural areas.

Al-Dorah continued that the setting of the workshop in the Lahj governorate, in addition to five other governorates, was an honor. The Lahj governorate is well-known for caring about the health of mothers and newborns, he said. It has implemented various projects concerning RHN and has been able to contribute to the reduction of infant mortality rates nationally. Al-Dorah praised the support of international organizations and donors with regard to the improving healthcare in Yemen .

Hans Obdeijn, the UNFPA Representative in Yemen , delivered a speech that clarified the purpose of the workshop, namely that it was to prepare for the MNH project in the governorate; provide a needs assessment of family planning; and provide a needs assessment of other healthcare sectors.

Al-Dorah and Obdeijn met to discuss activities and health projects that are currently being implemented in the Lahj governorate and are funded by international development organizations. They also reviewed the needs of the Lahj governorate that will be provided by these organizations in order to improve the level of healthcare services offered.