About the Event

This event, hosted by Devex, MSD for Mothers, and the Country Connector on Private Sector in Health on the occasion of the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva, will explore how more collaborative engagement with local private sector providers can advance equitable access to quality maternal health care for mothers in low- and middle-income countries. Conversations will build on lessons learned from the World Health Organization’s Country Connector to uncover opportunities and challenges around partnering with private sector providers.

Global maternal and newborn health worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw an increase in maternal deaths, stillbirth, and maternal depression. The COVID-19 crisis has shone a spotlight on the lack of capacity, resilience, and fragility of many health systems. A major gap was the inability of many countries to steward their whole system toward the response.

When it comes to maternal health, there is an urgent need to prioritize safe, accessible, and equitable maternity care across health systems. Digital solutions can help address critical service delivery gaps in maternal health care and improve efficiencies in service delivery by connecting all stakeholders and service providers ahead of each delivery. Yet, these solutions are often underfunded and lack the necessary government and financial support needed to scale.

Save your spot and join the discussion on:
• How engagement with private sector providers can drive access to maternal health care for mothers in low- and middle-income countries.
• The lessons learned from WHO’s Country Connector as a platform for sharing learnings, connecting countries to resources and tools needed for stronger health system governance, and better public policy toward the private sector in health.
• The role of governments in integrating private sector capacity to meet maternal health goals.