The program will offer special health care to both mother and children by monitoring mothers’ health during pregnancy and children's health progress until the age of six.
The initiative will begin operating at all of the Ministry of Health’s primary health centers (PHCs) from Monday. “The program is being introduced since the Kingdom gives a high priority to maternity and childcare. The new scheme is expected to reduce mortality rates among pregnant women, newborns and children younger than five,” said Al-Rabeeah.
He added that the program aims to raise levels of awareness among pregnant women about childcare, teach them how to monitor their children’s health and allow them to early diagnose any disease among children.
The program is in line with the guidelines of the World Health Organization, the minister said.
The Mother and Child Health Passport is a card that will be given to an expectant mother by the primary health centers throughout the Kingdom so they can avail themselves of prenatal and postnatal health care services.
“Besides clinical treatment, the mothers will be offered necessary counseling on nutrition and breast feeding,” said Dr. Khaled Al-Mirghalani, spokesman for the Ministry of Health. He added that several training courses have been provided for department coordinators and staff trainers for the program’s successful implementation.
Health Passports have already been distributed to the PHCs. There are some 2,000 such centers throughout the Kingdom in the 20 health regions.
Al-Mirghalani said the service will initially be available in PHCs, but will subsequently be extended to other health care facilities in all governorates.
Dr. Aqeel Al-Ghamdi, deputy minister of health for therapeutic medicine, who is in charge of the program, said the project is being implemented with the private sector participation to provide mothers and children with optimum care. The ministry, he said, has been carrying out a feasibility study for more than two years with Johnson & Johnson to realize this program.