INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, JULY 8Family Welfare Division, Department of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Population in
collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Maternity Foundation (MF) launched a Nepali version of the widely used digital
health tool, the Safe Delivery App - a mobile application that supports midwives and other healthcare professionals in ensuring safer births
for women and newborns in low-resource settings.
North Korea test-launches 2 ballistic missiles, after end of new US-South
Govt has not done enough to ensure women's health and
reproductive rights
The Safe Delivery App is an
evidence-based learning and training tool designed to support midwives, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to assist during births
and to manage the most common complications
Among other features, it contains the latest clinical guidelines, animated instruction videos, descriptions of practical procedures, and
It is free and once downloaded on a smartphone or a tablet, it works offline, making it possible to be used even in the most remote areas,
according to the press statement issued by the UNFPA."To date, more than 435,000 healthcare professionals across more than 70 countries have
been reached through the Safe Delivery App and the accompanying programme worldwide, with Nepal being the latest country to introduce the
App."
Speaking at the launch of the Nepali version of the Safe Delivery App in Kathmandu, Dr
Bibek Kumar Lal, Director, Family Welfare Division, Department of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Population stated the Safe
Delivery App complements and enhances the ongoing capacity building efforts by providing up-to-date lifesaving procedures and practical
guidance in local language
Its aim is to improve the quality of emergency obstetric and newborn care and the main users will be our frontline health workers especially
We will work with provincial governments and development partners to quickly rollout the App throughout Nepal.The maternal mortality rate in
Nepal has been reduced significantly over the past 20 years
However, the current maternal mortality ratio of 151 is more than double the SDG global target of 70 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births
by 2030, it added.According to Won Young Hong, the Representative of UNFPA in Nepal, "Globally every 2 minutes a woman dies, while in Nepal
2 women die every day due to pregnancy related complications - most of which are completely preventable
These are staggering numbers
This is why UNFPA is pleased to work with the Family Welfare Division, Ministry of Health and Population and Maternity Foundation to
localize this digital application so healthcare workers across Nepal can learn on the go and provide quality maternal healthcare to all
mothers and newborns"."I'm pleased to announce the launch of the Nepali version of the Safe Delivery App in collaboration with our valued
partners, the government of Nepal and UNFPA
We have been scaling up the Safe Delivery App and the accompanying programme across the world, and I'm beyond happy that we'll now also be
supporting midwives and other healthcare professionals in Nepal in ensuring safer births for women and babies," says Anna Frellsen, CEO of
Maternity Foundation.The Nepali version of the App, which contains thirteen modules, has been developed in collaboration with UNFPA and
Family Welfare Division, Department of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Population and other partners.In addition to the new Nepali
version, the digital tool is also available in five global versions based on WHO guidelines (English, French, Arabic, Spanish and
Portuguese) and more than 30 language versions, adapted to national contexts and needs.The Safe Delivery App is developed by Maternity
Foundation in collaboration with the Universities of Copenhagen and Southern Denmark and has been scaled up globally in close collaboration
with UNFPA, among other key partners.UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health and rights agency
It supports reproductive healthcare including safe motherhood programmes in over 150 countries and is the lead United Nations agency
supporting quality midwifery care globally
Its other programmes range from family planning and contraceptive supplies to censuses and surveys, and prevention and ending of
gender-based violence and harmful practices like child marriage.Maternity Foundation started out as a smaller Danish organisation in 2005
working in western Ethiopia
Today, we have offices in Ethiopia, India, and Denmark and engagements in multiple countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and
With the recently launched Spanish Safe Delivery App version, we have started to expand our work into Latin America and the Caribbean
It works to ensure safer births for women and newborns by building midwifery knowledge and skills among healthcare professionals in
It uses life-saving digital health solutions and innovative learning and training programmes.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com