Free childbirth comes to Nepal

14 January 2009

Nepal today announced free childbirth in hospitals and health centres - a bold and ambitious plan for the government and a wonderful gift for the country's women.

The Aama Surakchhaya Programme, which also provides free transportation to and from health facilities, aims to reduce the country's very high levels of maternal and newborn deaths.

Currently, one newborn baby dies every 20 minutes, and a woman dies of childbirth-related causes every four hours.

At the launch ceremony, Minister for Health Giriraj Mani Pokhrel said: "It is a historic event for Nepal. This will significantly reduce maternal and neonatal deaths and contribute to achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5."

The UK Government is the major donor to Nepal's maternal health programme. Over the last decade, DFID support has helped bring about a 20 to 48% decline in maternal mortality. But even with this progress, Nepal is off-track to reach the maternal mortality MDG. DFID's ongoing five-year Support to Safe Motherhood Programme plans to spend £20 million between 2004/5 and 2009/10.

Also speaking at the launch, Head of DFID Nepal, Bella Bird said: "The bold initiative is the most beautiful new year gift to the women of Nepal - a lifeline for them and newborns, particularly in the rural areas where poverty forces women to use unsafe delivery practices, risking their own life and their newborns'."

She also announced that DFID will contribute an additional £3 million in 2009/10 to help implement the programme.

Senior Nepalese civil servant, Brinda Hada, said: ‘The government couldn’t have announced the vital service without the financial assistance from DFID.’

The programme is expected to benefit 225,000 women this year alone.