6 CONCLUSION
155. The Honduras example cited at the end of Chapter
5 brings us back to where we started: the difference that political
will can make in improving maternal health. DFID has been a global
champion for maternal health. Through its spearheading of international
partnerships, its willingness to address sensitive issues, its
support to research and its focus on strengthening health systems
it has pushed maternal health considerably higher up national
and international political agendas.
156. But maternal health has not yet become a political
priority, either globally or within developing countries. Conveying
this message and advocating successfully for change—both
at the international and national levels—has never been
more important. At the start of a crucial year for the health
MDGs, DFID must reflect on how to move forward. Retaining its
role of global champion will depend on whether DFID really can,
as it says it can, spend increasing funds and shape strong international
partnerships when it has staff headcount restrictions in place.
Keeping its leadership position is feasible and desirable but
will involve a careful re-examination of priorities within DFID's
maternal health strategy and a re-appraisal of how best the Department
can play to its strengths and harmonise its work with that of
other donors. The Department must focus on ensuring that other
aid actors fulfil their part in reaching MDG 5 and that its own
efforts complement the work of others: the International Health
Partnership provides an excellent framework for ensuring this.
157. Reaching MDG 5 by 2015 will shortly become an
impossibility unless urgent action is taken. For millions of women,
delivering a child with a midwife in attendance and emergency
care at hand if she needs it will remain hopelessly unachievable.
As one witness argued, it is a disgrace that astronauts landed
on the moon decades ago, but we cannot yet provide women with
simple maternity care.[342]
DFID should put securing this basic package for women at the centre
of its approach and campaign for others to do the same. There
are real chances in 2008 to reverse the trend of maternal mortality—and
they must not be wasted.
342 Q 129 [Brigid McConville] Back
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