U of M Maternal and Child Health Initiative awarded $21.1 million in funding

The University of Manitoba’s Centre for Global Public Health (CGPH) has received US $21.1 Million (approximately C$23-M) in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the world, U of M President & Vice-Chancellor David Barnard announced today.

The five-year funding will support a strategy led by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in India with a population of almost 210 million, and over 5 million births each year. The U of M project, aligned with the Gates maternal, newborn and child health strategy, seeks to reduce the number of mothers and infants who die during and immediately after birth, and the number of children under five who die from common illnesses through effective interventions and services in communities and at health facilities.

Uttar Pradesh in India

Interventions will include easy-to-use tools to address the major causes of maternal and newborn and child deaths, and the underlying role of malnutrition in these deaths. The project will also support the Government of Uttar Pradesh by strengthening the use of research and monitoring systems to improve the availability and quality of services, particularly for the most underserved populations in the state.

“The University’s significant commitment to helping populations in need, whether here at home or around the globe, is one that is a source of great pride to our University. The dedication and commitment of our research teams who are making transformational and sustainable changes to peoples’ lives, is humbling,” said President Barnard.

The CGPH led project, titled: “Technical assistance to the Government of Uttar Pradesh to improve health, nutrition and development coverage and outcomes,” will provide technical and managerial support to Uttar Pradesh’s National Health Mission by establishing a Technical Support Unit (TSU), implemented by CGPH’s partner, the India Health Action Trust (IHAT). IHAT is a longstanding partner of CGPH, specializing in providing comprehensive technical assistance and training in program planning and management.

According to James Blanchard, Director of CGPH and one of the project’s leaders, the establishment of a TSU will improve the efficiency, effectiveness and equity of its execution capabilities across three platforms:  provision of public health programs and services; stewardship of service delivery; and partnership with the private sector and communities.

“Our team at CGPH feels privileged to be able to partner with the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on this initiative,” said the Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology and Global Public Health.

“We have a very dedicated and talented team in India and Canada that sees this as both an important responsibility and a challenge that will demand all of our best skills, effort and teamwork to make the project a success. It is a rare opportunity for us to participate in work that can affect the lives of so many women, children and their families and communities.”

The CGPH was established within the College of Medicine’s department of community health sciences in 2008 in collaboration with the department of medical microbiology.  The CGPH enhances the contribution of the University of Manitoba to the improvement of public health systems, programs and activities in diverse global settings.  A cornerstone of the Centre is the design and implementation of international health and development projects in several countries including: India, Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan, China and Ukraine.