Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan, 13 November 2024 – A four-member delegation from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) visited Dushanbe, Norak, and Dangara districts of Khatlon Province under the Lives and Livelihoods Fund-supported project for Improving Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) Services. The delegation was headed by Dr. Bandar Alhoweish, the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) Manager administered by IsDB.

The delegation met with the First Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population, Hon. Dr. Ghafur Muhsinzoda and underscored LLF donor support to boost country-led efforts for women’s and children’s health in the four front-runner districts of Khatlon province.

“Over the past two decades, Tajikistan has achieved laudable health improvements, including increased life expectancy, and significantly reduced maternal mortality. The partnership between the Government of Tajikistan, KSrelief, IsDB and the donors of the Lives and Livelihoods Fund has been another feather in our cap. This partnership, through the MNCH project, is fundamentally providing smart, scaled, and sustainable financial solutions to help us end preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths by 2030,” said Dr. Ghafur Muhsinzoda.

It is worth noting that in five years, the project has achieved the following:

• Antenatal care (ANC) coverage for pregnant women expanded from 50% to 70% (up to four ANC visits).
• Institutional births increased by 10%, whereby more than 1,500 deliveries took place in health facilities.
• Number of children under five receiving care through the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) initiative increased by 45,264.

The delegates also engaged with frontline health staff in two project districts and emphasized the enduring support of IsDB and LLF partners, including KSrelief, for improving primary health care outcomes across the major MNCH pillars including, Strengthening Health Systems; Prevention and Treatment of Disease and Enhanced Nutritional Practices.

During technical presentations, the delegation was briefed on the integrated health services model of the project to improve healthcare delivery from an infrastructure development and institutional strengthening and management perspective. These efforts have resulted in the following tangible outputs:

• Completion of one Polyclinic and two Central District Hospitals (CDH).
• Establishment of Regional Referral system with 12 new ambulances.