USAID and the Extending Service Delivery (ESD) Project recently presented the Jordan Health Systems Strengthening Project with an award for achievements in safe motherhood best practices.

The Jordan team, represented by the HSS Project Chief of Party, Dr. Sabry Hamza was recognized for the project's efforts in scaling-up the use of magnesium sulfate for pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), introducing post abortion care in 12 Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals, and for committing to create a solid action plan for scaling-up best practices over the next two years.

The award was made at a meeting of high-level public health stakeholders from across Asia and the Middle East in Bangkok, Thailand, in March. Four hundred experts had reconvened to build on what has been accomplished since a similar meeting was held in Bangkok in 2007.  The original meeting was designed to strengthen and accelerate the application of high-impact Family Planning/Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health (FP/MNCH) best practices not yet implemented to national/regional scale in Asia and the Middle East. Another purpose was to expose the participants to state-of-the-art FP/MNCH best practices and methodologies and to share and introduce their action plans and successful best practices.

Accepting the award, Dr. Sabry Hamza explained to the meeting participants how the project scaled-up magnesium sulfate for patients with PIH in MOH hospitals in Jordan. This required major efforts such as developing guidelines for physicians and midwives, providing competency-based training as well as on-the-job training, monitoring performance, and procuring the product more cheaply by projecting needs for five years ahead. One of the novel lessons learned was that staff behavior (compliance) was enhanced by reviewing evidence, which they then could integrate into their clinical practice.

This award documents Jordan's efforts, with the help of the HSS project, to meet the Millennium Development Goal #5 which is to improve maternal health.