Impact
Thus far, good results have been obtained through specific programmes such as Safe Motherhood, Rural Health Reform, and the Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI). These programmes have contributed to improvements in quality, efficiency, and access to primary healthcare services, and to several improvements in service delivery. This in turn has resulted in a lower cost of care and more frequent hospital delivery in pilot counties, significantly reducing both maternal and infant mortality rates. Together with the Ministry of Health (MOH), UNICEF launched Safe Motherhood in 1999. The project has produced visible outcomes have laid the foundation for substantial and sustainable impacts on maternal mortality reduction. MOH has adopted a strategy framework in its National Program to promote hospital or clinic-based delivery through improved quality, reduced price, and demand creation. Partly as a result of UNICEF advocacy, the Chinese government has allocated US $400 million for a national MMR reduction program to improve hospital service and lower fees for hospital delivery. Guidelines and strategies for Safe Motherhood have been incorporated into a national MMR programme in 450 high-risk counties, contributing to a 46 percent increase in project areas hospital deliveries in 2001 to 76 percent in 2003. In addition, immunization coverage against Hepatitis-B for children under one years old rose from 60% in 1999 to over 90% in 2003.
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