Programme

Health

Best start in life for every child

Challenges

Uzbekistan has taken measures to improve the health and well-being of women and children since its independence in 1991. Over the last decade, several major reforms have been implemented to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the health system and reduce maternal and child mortality.

Despite these efforts and the good coverage of maternal and child healthcare services, these measures not yet resulted in a more equitable access or improved health status for the most vulnerable.

A recent study by UNICEF (please confirm who is the source of study) shows that the quality of maternity centres need to be improved in order to meet international standards. Key challenges in the quality of health systems still need to be addressed as do barriers related to inadequate childcare practices.

UNICEF has worked with health officials to identify the main challenges in accessing quality health care services in two of the most deprived regions of the country. An assessment of district health systems shows that the enabling environment is one of the most frequent bottlenecks to the effective coverage of mother and child health services. The study also highlights the importance of improving the availability of relevant statistics (statistics on?) and improving the quality of primary data sources and medical documentation.

A recent UNICEF study (please confirm who is the source of the study) indicates that the quality of maternity homes needs to be improved to meet international standards. Key challenges to the quality of health systems still need to be addressed, as are the barriers associated with inadequate child care practices.

UNICEF worked with health officials to identify key issues related to access to quality health services in two of the most disadvantaged regions of the country. An assessment of district health systems shows that enabling conditions are one of the most frequent barriers to effective coverage of maternal and child health services. The study also stresses the importance of improving the availability of relevant statistics (statistics of what?) And improving the quality of primary data sources and medical records.

Solution

The health programme of UNICEF is designed to strengthen decentralized health systems and enhance the capacity of district-level managers to identify bottlenecks and develop, implement and monitor plans to address the quality of services related to maternal and child health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, water, sanitation and hygiene.

UNICEF supports the strengthening of a home visiting system in two of the country’s most deprived regions and enhances the capacity of patronage nurses to offer crucial services. The home visiting system teaches critical behaviors including exclusive breastfeeding, infant and young child feeding, awareness of danger signs for pregnancy and child health, early childhood stimulation and hygiene promotion. Special attention is also paid in addressing adolescent issues through communication for development interventions and support to children and adolescents living with HIV and AIDS.

“In Uzbekistan, according to official data, almost 100% of children are fully vaccinated.

To ensure that every child is protected from preventable diseases, UNICEF supports the Ministry of Health in the procurement of vaccines. UNICEF is the major implementing agency for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) fund in improving the system of planning, procurement and storage of vaccines. Specifically, UNICEF is works to improve infrastructure at the national and regional level, strengthening the human resource capacity nationwide, and budget forecasting.

To achieve its objectives, UNICEF works in close coordination with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, national and international academic and research institutions and relevant United Nations agencies.

Achievements

UNICEF is supporting the government in improving the system of planning, procurement and storage of vaccines via the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) fund. This work includes improving infrastructure at the national and regional level, strengthening human resource capacity nationwide and budget forecasting.
Around 99 per cent of 6 to 59 (59 months?) months old children nationwide have benefitted from two rounds of UNICEF’s supported Vitamin A supplementation programme in 2017.
UNICEF conducted a costing of perinatal care services and generated evidence to demonstrate gaps in the current system for system improvement. The study is the first of its kind to produce estimates of costs for perinatal care interventions in Uzbekistan.
UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Health with better programming for improved results in nutrition of children and women for which accurate and reliable data is fundamental. In 2017, UNICEF supported conducting the first national nutrition survey in the country. This will contribute towards making well-informed decisions towards improving the nutrition for children.
UNICEF provides support to children living with HIV through a network of seven day care centers. Over 5,000 boys and girls and their families have received psychosocial support and crucial information about HIV as a result. To address psychosocial issues surrounding children living with HIV and their families, UNICEF conducted trainings on healthy lifestyles for adolescents and their caregivers.
UNICEF provided support in ensuring sustainable access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and promotes hand washing and good hygienic practices across schools in the country. Work included the installation of a water pipeline in one school and water tanks in eighteen others ensuring that over 4,600 childr

About 99 percent of children aged 6 to 59 (59 months?) Months across the country received vitamin A during two rounds of a UNICEF-supported program in 2017.

UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Health in improving programs to improve nutritional outcomes for children and women for whom reliable and reliable data is fundamental. In 2017, UNICEF supported the first national nutrition survey in the country. This will facilitate informed decision-making on improving children's nutrition.

UNICEF provides support to children living with HIV through a network of seven day care centers. As a result, over 5,000 boys and girls and their families received psychosocial support and important information about HIV. To address the psychosocial problems associated with children living with HIV and their families, UNICEF conducted healthy lifestyle trainings for adolescents and their caregivers.

UNICEF supported sustainable access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and promoted hand washing and good hygienic practices in schools across the country. The work involved installing plumbing in one school and water tanks in eighteen other schools, providing access to safe drinking water to more than 4,600 children and community members.