Obstetric Humanization in Mozambique and listening to key actors in Nampula
The HUMANIZA MOZ campaign is a national campaign to prevent and combat Obstetric Violence launched in 2021, with the aim of promoting humanization in prenatal, childbirth and postpartum services, through awareness raising, training on obstetric humanization, to state actors and non-state actors operating in the health sector, associations of health professionals, justice institutions, and others with a view to advocating and influencing pro-humanization policies for obstetric services.
The initiative is led by Associação Saber Nascer in collaboration with several civil society organizations at national level (Aliadas, ASCHA, Watana, Niwanane, Rede Hopem, Alliance for Health, Observatório do Cidadão para Saúde, Observatório das Mulheres, Frida, medicusmundi, AMMCJ, N'WETI) with technical and financial support from the POTENCIAR Program and CESC/ALIADAS. Within the scope of the implementation of its activities, the HUMANIZA MOZ campaign has triggered several noteworthy actions, lectures in the maternity wards of the health units, on the most pressing issues associated with maternal and child health services, including the disclosure of mechanisms for reporting, complaints about bad practices in maternity hospitals and promotion of more humane maternal and child health services.
The province of Nampula was defined as a pioneer for this consultation process on the pertinence of having a law that prevents and punishes obstetric violence in Mozambique. Saber Nascer, leader of the campaign, prepared the terms of reference with the support of the POTENCIAR Programme, and organized the event in Nampula with the support of Associação Niiwanana, which leads the campaign in this province.
On the 9th and 10th of August, a team from Maputo, comprising Dr. Vitalina Papadakis (consultant), Camila Fanheiro, Executive Director of Saber Nascer, and Violeta Bila, Coordinator of the Alliance for Health and Director of medicusmundi in Mozambique, to participate in the seminar to present the results of the analysis of the legislation on Obstetric Humanization in Mozambique and carry out consultations with key actors in this province.
For more information about the sessions held in Nampula and the main conclusions of these 2 days of work, please consult the PdF document.