Background
Maternal and child health is a prioritised area of development in Azerbaijan. Despite the fact that there is an infrastructure for health care services for pregnant women and newborns, surveys have shown that many women don’t visit the antenatal clinics and suffer from anemia and other health problems during their pregnancies. The purpose of antenatal care is to monitor and ensure the well-being of the pregnant woman and the foetus. Not receiving antenatal care increases the risk of maternal and newborn death.

About the project
This project was created to improve the quality of care at Antenatal Clinic #2 in Baku. In order to achieve this, the project team developed guidelines for care of normal pregnancy and pregnancy with anemia, based on WHO recommendations. A two-day training was then carried out on basic antenatal care for gynecologists and midwives at the clinic. In addition to this, the team reviewed the clinic’s registration system and offered a new, simple method to make it logic and transparent. This system allows the clinic to establish regular contacts with pregnant women from both high and low risk groups by actively reminding and inviting them to appointments.

Results
By the end of the project, the new registration system was up and running and appreciated by both the clinic staff and the patients. The patients reported being satisfied that it allows them to come for a booked appointment and that they no longer need to queue, which saves them time and makes it easier for them to access the antenatal services. The WHO recommendations on normal pregnancy management and management of pregnancy with anemia have been accepted by all medical staff at the clinic and is now recognised as clear guidelines in their day-to-day work.

Year: 2008