Chris Saunders, CEO of Transaid, was recently invited to Washington D.C. to meet with top officials from the World Bank to discuss the importance of transport when tackling problems of health care access, particularly in relation to maternal and child health. In terms of targets set to be achieved by 2015 under the UN Millennium Development Goals, it is maternal and infant mortality which seems least likely to met - hence the World Bank's concern.
In poor countries particularly in rural areas many women cannot afford to get to health facilities because transport costs are too high, and health workers do not have the transport available to go to the villages to provide care and support during delivery. This is why 1 in 16 women will die while giving birth in Africa compared to 1 in 3,800 in the developed world! Representatives from both the transport and health sectors in the World Bank came together to find solutions to this set of complicated problems.
Transaid was one of three implementing NGOs that was invited to describe work we have undertaken with ministries that have improved efficiency and cost effectiveness of ministry of health transport, and some of the technical innovations that have led to better community access to health facilities. The outcome was a set of strong recommendations on ways to better apply transport knowledge to the health services.
Transaid’s presence at the World Bank is a testament to how far we have come over the last ten years and how our work plays a vital role in improving the lives of men, women and children across the developing world.
