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