UNICEF and UNFPA donated US$ 1 million worth medical equipment to maternity hospitals in Karakalpakstan, the UNICEF office in Uzbekistan said.
Perinatal centers in Kungrad and Beruniy districts and Nukus city received 300 pieces of equipment for neonatal intensive care units and operating rooms. These include surgical instruments, electrocardiography devices, ultrasound diagnostic devices, and continuous positive air pressure devices.
“Now more than 50% of the population of Karakalpakstan will have access to specialized perinatal care in these maternity hospitals,” said Munir Mammadzade, head of the UNICEF office in Uzbekistan.
Assistance to maternity hospitals is provided within the framework of the project "Improving the quality of perinatal care for the most vulnerable mothers and newborns", which is implemented by the ministries of health of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan, UNICEF and UNFPA.
Since the launch of the project, 21% of all mothers and newborns in Karakalpakstan - more than 12 thousand mothers and 12 thousand newborns - have benefited from improved infrastructure and quality care in these perinatal centers. A significant reduction in early neonatal mortality was achieved in all three medical facilities by an average of 22%, according to a UNICEF press release.
The project has been implemented since August 2019 with US$ 1.6 million financial support from the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security for the Aral Sea region in Uzbekistan. The fund is supported by the governments of Uzbekistan, Norway, Finland, South Korea and the European Union.
