Buzz Meeting: Day 2 recap

The second day of the MHTF Buzz meeting continued the conversation to cover topics like community interventions, addressing short-term fixes versus long-term system changes, and how to accelerate progress in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity.

The morning included a discussion of community interventions to address maternal health that was introduced and moderated by Zulfiqar Bhutta of the Aga Khan University. Three presenters who are working on MHTF supported projects, Nick Pearson from Jacaranda Health, Kate Ramsey from IHI, and Kaosar Afsana from BRAC, had the opportunity to discuss their projects that each are examples of community level interventions that address maternal health.

In the afternoon, the conversation turned to the future and how we can accelerate progress in reducing maternal mortality. Poonam Muttreja from the Population Foundation of India provided some context for the discussion. Similarly to day one, we may have asked more questions than we answered, but it’s an important step to ensure that we ask the right questions. Some of the questions that were raised include:

• Where is the “F” in family planning?
• Has the low-hanging fruit been picked?
• Is human/economic development the key to solving maternal health problems?
• Do we talk enough about gender? Too much?