Ulaanbaatar, 16 July 2016 - His Excellency Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg,accompanied by his delegation, visited the National Center for Maternal and Child Health (NCMCH) on 16 July 2016. He was received by the Minister of Health and Sports, Mr Lambaa. The Prime Minister was on mission to Mongolia to participate in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) held from 15-16 July 2016, hosted by the Government of Mongolia.
This visit was of particular significance as the Government of Luxembourg is one of the significant donors to the health sector in Mongolia as well as a longtime partner of UNFPA Mongolia.
The 4.1 million-dollar project on establishing a telemedicine network for maternal and newborn health has been co-financed by the Government of Luxemburg and UNFPA, and it has been implemented by the National Center for Maternal and Child Health in the last 9 years.
During his visit to the NCMCH, the telemedicine project for maternal and child health was introduced to the Prime Minister Bettel by the NCMCH, General Director Dr Enkhtur, and he observed and appreciated the technological innovation to make maternal and newborn care more accessible, particularly for rural women and families. The online telemedicine network has been established nation-wide, connecting the tertiary level NCMCH with aimag centers, so that rural women no longer have to travel to Ulaanbaatar for MCH consultations unless they have high-risk pregnancies and complications.
The project also has a strong component to improve the skills of maternal and newborn care specialists not only at the National Centre in Ulaanbaatar, but also at the aimag and soum levels. This led to the reduction in the number of the tele-consultation requests from aimags to NCMCH, clearly indicating that rural doctors are much more confident in their diagnosis and treatment to pregnant mothers and newborns.
Moreover, through innovative interventions such as the creation of an online learning platform for health professionals and the introduction of advanced technology, the National Centre now meets the international standards for maternal and newborn care. Through the project, health professionals across the country can easily access information and support from experts in Ulaanbaatar.
It was highlighted during the visit that the contributions of the Government of Luxembourg and UNFPA have been a key component in the dramatic reduction of maternal mortality in Mongolia by 2/3 as of 2015. Also, the project made a significant contribution when Mongolia became one of the only nine countries in the world which achieved the Millennium Development Goals maternal mortality reduction target.
The PM congratulated the NCMCH for being recognized as the national center of excellence in the field of maternal fetal medicine and reproductive health services. He emphasized the importance of every pregnant woman having equal access to quality reproductive health services in the country. He recognized the achievements of the project in “leaving no one behind” as stressed in the Sustainable Development Goals. Ms Naomi Kitahara, the UNFPA Representative for Mongolia, expressed her appreciation for the Prime Minister’s visit, and explained how much the project contributed to reducing maternal mortality in the country, and the telemedicine network has overcome Mongolia’s challenges of having vast territory with disperse populations.
Other visitors to NCMCH with the Prime Minister included Mr. Manuel Tonnar, Deputy Director for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Action, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Luxembourg; and Mr. Paul Steinmetz, Ambassador of Luxembourg to Beijing.
By: Dr. Tsednmaa Baatar / A.Esguerra
