Obstetrics

The Perinatal Education Programme (PEP) is produced and distributed by the Perinatal Education Trust, a non-profit organization, which aims to improve the care of pregnant women and their newborn infants, especially in poor, rural communities.

Site with a section for professionals and a women's health section for non professionals as well - includes quite a lot of advertising

Countries in Africa should promote maternal, infant and child health and report on progress, in order to curb high death rates on the continent, according to the African Union. There are continents where women give birth and it is a pleasant experience because they are bringing life, said AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Bience Gawana. In our continent, unfortunately, that is not always the case. Women also bring death to themselves and their children. Progress on the promotion of maternal, infant and child health featured during the 12th African Union Heads of State and Government Summit, which ended on Wednesday. Ms Gawana said the AU had agreed to launch a continent-wide campaign to address the issue.

The governments food fortification programme has led to a 40% decline in spina bifida, a birth defect linked to folic acid deficiency, new research by South African scientists shows. The study is important as it highlights how a relatively cheap intervention has had a major effect on public health.

SA is making no progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing deaths among mothers and children under the age of five, warns a new report. The report raises the question why, despite its resources, SA is doing so badly. About 10,5% of the governments total spending (R716bn) is earmarked for health (R75,5bn), yet SA is one of the worst performers among the 68 countries assessed for the report because of their high death rates. SA is one of only 12 countries with rising child mortality rates, which climbed 15% between 1990 and 2006, from 60 to 69 deaths per 1000 live births. Maternal deaths remained constant at 400 per 100000 live births.

Three committees dealing with maternal mortality, perinatal mortality and infant mortality were launched at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park on Monday by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. The improvement of the health of women and children has always been a priority in the healthcare planning of our democratic government, Tshabalala-Msimang said. While the perinatal and infant mortality committees are new, the maternal mortality committee, already in existence, has new members, the minister said.

Closing Date: 15 November 2007
We invite applications for this contract position, for appointment on 1 December 2007. This is a 6 month full-time position, stationed at Liesbeeck Midwife Obstetric Unit (MOU), Mowbray Maternity Hospital.

HIV-positive pregnant women should routinely be offered the choice of abortion in the context of the serious challenge the pandemic presents to maternal health, says the Health Systems Trust.

The reluctance of local doctors to serve at rural hospitals has forced the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department to again recruit doctors from Cuba following the signing of a new agreement with that country.

mothers2mothers (m2m) is a peer support program that aims to provide education and psychosocial support to HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers, help women access existing health care services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), and follow up with mothers and babies to ensure they receive appropriate medical care after delivery. While there has been much interest in innovative psychosocial support programs that complement PMTCT clinical services, only a few such programs exist, and there is very little data about their effectiveness. Although m2m is a well known program with anecdotal accounts of successfully supporting HIV-positive women, the program had yet to undergo an external evaluation. The Horizons Program of Population Council, in collaboration with Health Systems Trust, completed the first evaluation of m2m as part of its introduction in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.