EMCH - saving lives through emergency care for mothers, babies and children

EMNCH - Vision and Overview

Vision: Helping disadvantaged countries sustainably and substantially transform and integrate the management of emergencies in mothers, newborns and children to reduce mortality and alleviate suffering by capacity building and empowering staff and civil society to effect systemic change from villages to hospitals.

Overview: This programme is run in collaboration with Maternal & Childhealth Advocacy International and in partnership with In-country Government and WHO. ALSG's expertise is in the course development, course management, audit and quality control areas of the programme. The EMNCH programme is currently running in two countries, Pakistan and The Gambia. For individual programme reports visit the MCAI website.

ALSG courses and the EMNCH programme: In countries where the health system allows, our standard Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS) and Managing Obstetric Emergencies and Trauma (MOET) courses are offered to appropriate healthcare workers in the tertiary facilities.

The EMNCH programme sustainability relies on locally trained instructors having the knowledge and skills to deliver the training on an ongoing basis. EMNCH instructors undergo a standard Generic Instructor Course (GIC) .

Core Objectives of EMNCH

At the request of and in collaboration with civil society, government and WHO:

1. Simultaneously developing:

core knowledge and skills in healthcare workers at all levels of emergency care for life threatening illness and injuries; systems to deliver emergency care at all levels i.e. from village to hospital; healthcare facilities that are fit for purpose and in doing this improve staff morale and retention and embed system change

2. Effectively monitor, evaluate and quality control ours and our partners actions

3. Based on tried and tested methods develop this model and knowledge share so that it can be replicated as a matter of urgency to address MDGs 4 and 5 worldwide.

4. From the right to health perspective influence key stakeholders to better prioritise emergency care for women during pregnancy and childbirth, for the newborn, infants and children

EMNCH: from village ...

It is essential that healthcare workers based in the village setting have appropriate skills to recognise and respond to life threatening emergencies.

There are two EMNCH courses offered in this setting:

TBA (traditional birth attendant) course: this course provides TBAs with the skills to recognise life threatening emergencies in pregnancy, immediately postpartum and in the newborn.

VHW (Village Healthworkers) course: this course provides VHWs with the skills to recognise and respond to life threatening emergencies either from illness or injury in mothers, newborns and children.

Following the course the TBAs and VHWs are issued with essential equipment, including a mobile phone so that they can access the emergency ambulance 'flying squad'.

... to health facility

When patients arrive from the village setting, it is critical that staff in the health facilities have appropriate emergency skills.

Healthcare staff in these facilities are offered either a 5-day Emergency Maternal, Neonatal & Child Health (EMNCH) course or a combination of a 3-day Emergency Maternal & Newborn Health (EMNH) course and a 3-day Emergency Trauma & Child Health (ETCH) course .

It is also essential that the healthcare facilities have good cleanliness and infection control and healthcare and allied workers are offered a Cleaning and Infection Control (CIC) course .

All facilities where training is provided are refurbished and equipped to ensure that the skills taught on the courses can be put into practice. All healthcare workers also complete logbooks to monitor the use and impact of these skills.

How can I help?

If you are an existing APLS or MOET instructor and you would like to get involved in teaching on the EMNCH programme, email ALSG .

Funding is urgently needed, if you would like to donate some money to help this excellent cause

click here