Covid-19 disrupted health systems around the world and threatened access to essential healthcare services, particularly for women and children. The well-being of mothers and infants depends on their continued access to these services. The MOMENTUM Presents three-part podcast series, Innovating in a Pandemic, features leaders on the frontlines of the Covid-19 response from around the world sharing their experiences and strategies for maintaining essential maternal, newborn and child health services, family planning and reproductive health services (MNCH/FP/RH) in the face of the pandemic.
The newly released third and final episode looks to the future, one where Covid-19 is an ongoing dynamic affecting MNCH/FP/RH programmes, and where the next major wave — or a new pandemic — could be around the corner.
Dr Queen Dube, Chief of Health Services for the Malawi Ministry of Health, and Dr Babatunde Olatunji, Executive Director for the Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, explore which adaptations and innovations born out of the pandemic have the potential to be ongoing fixtures of MNCH/FP/RH programmes and whether disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic can have a positive effect on country progress to improve maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health.
Dube discusses “positive disruptions” from Covid-19 — including the availability of funding, widespread use of data collection, multi-sectoral collaboration around one goal and health-system prioritisation — that could prove to be positive forces if applied to country-level MNCH/FP/RH programmes.
Olatunji explains how Oyo State was a hotspot in the early days of Nigeria’s fight against Covid-19 and became a leader in its pandemic response.
The state was proactive about implementing a local, community-led response and enhancing existing facilities for a sustainable investment. Olatunji led that charge and discusses the lessons Oyo State learned, particularly on prioritising quality of care at the facility level.
Missed the previous two episodes? Tune in by clicking here!
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