UNICEF strengthens health services in Trincomalee district

The United Nations Children's Fund yesterday donated 43 Mopeds to be used by Public Health Midwives (PHMs) at the RDHS Office in the Trincomalee district. The donation is a part of UNICEF's continued support to Government efforts to further improve maternal and child health in the country.

According to Trincomalee Acting Regional Director of Health Services, Dr.T. Thavakodirajah, one key element of the District's strategy to improve maternal and child health is to give Public Health Midwives an increased ability to access remote corners of their district.

This district has a significant number of home deliveries and low weight births said Dr Thavakodirajah.

We thank the UNICEF for strengthening the midwife services by donating these mopeds, he said.

In doing so they will enable our PHMs to deliver their services more easily and effectively, right up to the doorsteps of women and children.

On the back of their new mopeds, the PHMs will now be able to adequately cover a population of more than 120,000 in six medical offices of health areas the Trincomalee district.

These mopeds enable Sri Lanka's public health midwives to best utilise their skills, increasing their home visits and time spent at clinics, which will in turn improve coverage and impact for mothers and children, said UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka, Philippe Duamelle.

One of the key objectives of UNICEF's Health and Nutrition programme is to improve access and quality of maternal and child health services, and support capacity building to develop and implement health and nutrition programmes.

Last year UNICEF supported the district health services with a similar donation of 71 mopeds, while earlier this year UNICEF donated 18 double cabs to the Health Ministry worth more than Rs. 27 million, to strengthen health service management at the divisional level including the support of grass roots health workers, in particular the public health midwives.