Project name: AZE2R302 - Strengthened Managerial and Technical Capacity of Reproductive Health Service Providers, especially those at the Primary Healthcare Level
Budget: USD 121,840
Timeline: 1 January 2005 – 31 December 2005
What's the situation?
Reproductive Health in Azerbaijan remains strongly dependent on international help. The Ministry of Health is not currently able to contribute significantly to enhancing the reproductive status of Azerbaijan's population of Azerbaijan without external assistance from donor organizations and international organisations. On issues such as maternal health, family planning and use of contraceptives, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer there is a disparity between official and independent statistical sources. Support provided by UNFPA to build capacity of health service providers through comprehensive training programmes is contributing to a better understanding of the main principles of reproductive health issues including strong links between the use of contraceptives, the rate of unsafe abortions, complications during pregnancy, and maternal sickness and mortality. The trained medical personnel are better able to address the needs of the population for maternal and reproductive health, to deliver quality reproductive health services to the public, and to meet its other outstanding needs for RH services and information
What’s our mission?
With its activities in Azerbaijan, UNFPA is helping to save women's lives.
As the leading UN agency which supports Azerbaijan's government in its efforts to achieve Goal number 5 of the Millennium Development Goals which concerns maternal health, UNFPA has been asked to formulate and implement specific activities to address a number of issues:
- maternal mortality
- inadequate health services for women during pregnancy and deliveries
- unsafe abortions
- early diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS
- early diagnosis of cervical cancer
These efforts are being carried out through training initiatives across Azerbaijan, targeting a wide range of health service providers (gynaecologists and midwives). These training initiatives aim to deliver quality information and practical expertise on modern family planning methods, complications of unsafe abortions, early diagnosis of tissue changes during pregnancy which might result in severe complications like bleeding, eclampsia, nephropathy and, ultimately, in maternal mortality.
Since 2000, UNFPA, together with the Ministry of Health, has reached over 1,000 service providers in 25 districts with the training sessions on various reproductive health topics. During the second 5-years programme cycle, UNFPA plans to reach service providers from every district of Azerbaijan, offering training on issues mainly relating to maternal health, such as infertility, miscarriages, perinatal care, genital tumours, etc.
The training will also include the practical, on-the-job exercises to allow the service providers to acquire the practical skills to address various aspects of the relevant problem.
How is UFPA doing this?
In its efforts to improve the Reproductive Health situation in remote areas of Azerbaijan, UNFPA will:
- Assess the still unmet needs for training on various areas of reproductive and sexual health by identifying the districts and regions where the assistance programmes have not yet been introduced
- International training consultants will be invited from John Hopkins University, USA, to develop training manuals for doctors and midwives addressing the reproductive health issues like cervical cancer, reproductive health referrals
- Training of trainers will be conducted for master-trainers
- The training sessions will be carried out under the supervision of the National RH Office of the Ministry of Health in 30 pilot districts of the country which have a high poverty level, high density of internally displaced people and insufficient health care services.
- Participation at international workshops will be arranged for UNFPA staff and government officials so as to build their managerial capacity in responding to various aspects of reproductive health
Who are our partners?
The project will be implemented jointly with the Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan.
Expenditures for training will be cost-shared with UNICEF and the International Medical Corps The training will be conducted within regional Reproductive Health Centres.
How will Azerbaijan benefit?
This project will benefit Azerbaijan by building the capacity of its health service providers and by allowing them to better provide the needed services to the population particularly in family planning and reproductive health. The inclusion of practical exercises (in an "on-the-job" component) in the training programme will provide the chance for service providers to improve their practical skills in delivering specific services to population (such as IUD insertion, curative curettage, pregnancy testing, managing abnormal deliveries).
The model of the practical methodology is based on World Health Organisation protocols and may be re-used for further training of primary health care service providers so as to provide necessary consultative and curative measures for women in reproductive age.
Contact Details:
Farid Babayev, Reproductive Health Technical Expert, UNFPA
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