Mother, Child and Woman's Health Unit (MCWHU)

The Mother, Child and Woman's Health Unit (MCWHU) was established in June 2009 as a joint project between Department of Paediatrics at Polokwane Campus, University of Limpopo and FPD goals. All aspects of technical assistance related to Mother and Child Health activities are provided by this unit. The MCWHU has since 2011 expanded to all FPD supported districts. The department is supported by PEPFAR through the USAID grant to FPD. The unit has assisted with implementation of training in Maternal and Infant HIV management for UNICEF and Save the Children (UK).

Our Goal:

To become a leader in the field of maternal and child health, championing solutions to the key health needs of this vulnerable group to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Services We Offer:

Technical Assistance:
Technical Assistance (TA) is provided by means of mentoring, consultancy and training services based on the mother and child health needs of the geographic service areas being supported. The aim of this services is to ensure and enhance the competency of health workers responsible for the care and treatment of mothers and children;  to improve and increase access to care of this group;  to ensure high quality, timeous treatment and; referral as per requirements. The MCWHU also provides mentoring to PHC staff to provide NIMART to pregnant women requiring ARV treatment.

Education and Learning:
The main focus of Mother, Child and Woman's Health eduation and learning is to ensure that health workers have the knowledge and skills to manage mothers and children with HIV.

Overview of performance against key PEPFAR PMTCT targets

In 2010 the MCWHU supported 5 hospitals in the Limpopo Province to provide ARV treatment at their high risk clinics. This has resulted in many more women eligible for ARV treatment accessing care. FPD supports and advocates for the integrated model of maternal care for all antenatal services in South Africa.

 New iniations on HAART: Integrated Care mode

Additional Activities:

• Development of integrated Maternal and Infant HIV guidelines
• Development of a PMTCT pamphlet for pregnant women
• Wide Distribution of revised PMTCT policy, and updating of health workers
• Facilitating quarterly NGO forum meetings
• Support for the tertiary high risk antenatal referral service in Limpopo Province, and telephonic advice to all health workers.
  
  

Research:

The unit undertakes operational research to evaluate the support provided and the methods that are used.

An oral presentation on the impact of HCT in-hours training of Health Professionals at Mankweng hospital will be delivered at the SAHARA conference in Port Elizabeth from 28 to 30 November 2011.

Ms Cordelia Mapempeni

Acting Head: Mother, Child and Woman's Health Unit
Tel: +27 15 291 4433
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Fax: +27 186 567 0298