Improved Maternal Health Care Access for Displaced Population in Timor-Leste

DILI, Timor-Leste — Pregnant women living in camps around Dili are receiving maternal care services and now have the option of being transferred to the national hospital before delivery, said Hernando Agudelo, the Timor-Leste Representative of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

“We have pitched 20 tents at the Dili National Hospital where women in the final stages of pregnancy can wait for delivery,” said Mr. Agudelo. “This is all possible due to effective partnerships with the Health Services, UNHCR, and the local non-governmental organization, REDE Feto.”

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has provided for 110 tents to be available to the hospital. Each tent is insulated and can hold up to 10 people.

UNFPA and REDE Feto have already transferred 10 women and their families from various camps to the new hospital ‘waiting’ area. Eight more families have been identified by the mobile clinics to be transferred as they approach their delivery dates.

“Conditions in the camps are difficult, particularly for pregnant women,” said Dr. Sevinj Huseyn-Zade, a UNFPA technical adviser. “Not having adequate transport to specialized medical services provided by the hospital puts woman at a much higher risk of even common maternal health issues becoming critical or life-threatening.”

With the maternal health mobile clinics, pregnant women receive vital ante- and post-natal care and allow for close monitoring in the late stages of pregnancy. “Having this new ‘waiting area’ at the hospital means we can provide these women with the option of moving to a safer space with access to comprehensive care,” said Dr. Huseyn-Zade.

The clinics also distribute iron and folic acid to all pregnant women, and the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided them with nutritional BP5 biscuits. Support from the Catholic Relief Services and Health Net International allows maternal care providers to distribute mosquito nets, as pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to malaria and dengue infection.

Mobile clinic teams are also involved in health promotion work, particularly promoting breastfeeding among new mothers, using visual materials provided by the Ministry of Health. These mobile clinics are coordinated by the Dili District Health Services and supported by UNFPA and Health Alliance International.

This is part of a wider protection initiative coordinated by members of the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Assistance Group. Working with international and local partners, including the Office for the Promotion of Equality of the Office of the Prime Minister, the protection group has also established a sub-working group to examine sexual and gender-based violence.

The Inter-Agency Humanitarian Assistance Group meets three times a week to assess the changing needs and coordinate the response. Led by the Government of Timor-Leste, the group includes representatives from the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, the United Nations Development Programme, UNFPA, WFP, Catholic Relief Services, CARE International, AUSTCARE, the Red Cross, Oxfam Australia, Plan International, Médecins Sans Frontières, World Vision, and CONCERN. Many local organizations also participate, as well as donors such as the Australian Agency for International Development and the United States Agency of International development.

A flash appeal for Timor-Leste was launched on 12 June. UNFPA is requesting about $600,000 for a three-month period. Proposed UNFPA activities include prevention of gender-based violence among internally displaced persons and maternal health support for these populations.

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UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

Contact Information:

Dili: Hernando Agudelo, tel.+670 723 0588, agudelo@unfpa.org

Bangkok: William A. Ryan, tel.+66 2 288 2446, ryanw@unfpa.org

New York: Omar Gharzeddine, tel.+1 212-297-5028, gharzeddine@unfpa.org