Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL) is a five-year initiative to rapidly reduce maternal and newborn mortality in low-resource, high-burden sub-Saharan Africa countries. Launched by Secretary of State Clinton in 2012, this public-private partnership strengthens health services by increasing demand, facilitating access to quality, lifesaving care for the most vulnerable women, and strengthening health systems at the district level. The initiative was given the ambitious goals of reducing maternal mortality by 50% and perinatal morality by 30% in 8 pilot districts in Uganda and Zambia, and then s...[more]
Zambia commits to: increase national budgetary expenditure on health from 11% to 15% by 2015 with a focus on women and children’s health; and to strengthen access to family planning - increasing contraceptive prevalence from 33% to 58% in order to reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions, especially among adolescent girls. Zambia will scale-up implementation of integrated community case management of common diseases for women and children, to bring health services closer to families and communities to ensure prompt care and treatment.