Singapore - Tamil Nadu Collaboration in Maternal and Child

/ -- A three-year initiative comes to a fruitful close - with better care for over 100,000 pregnant mothers and newborns across the Indian State
Healthcare leaders and specialists across Tamil Nadu and Singapore marked the successful conclusion of a three-year collaboration between the two countries on antenatal and child healthcare in Tamil Nadu. To conclude the programme, both sides came together for a Leader's Dialogue to share their experiences and learnings over the past three years, at the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital. The Enhancing Maternal and Child Health Services (EMCH) Programme is a three-year specialist programme implemented by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) in partnership with the Department of Health and Family Welfare (DH&FW), Government of Tamil Nadu, Temasek Foundation International (TFI) and SingHealth.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/645445/Enhancing_Maternal_and _Child_Health_Services_Programme.jpg )
Since 2015, healthcare professionals from Singapore have worked with their counterparts in three districts in Tamil Nadu - Tiruchirappalli, Kanchipuram, and Pudukkottai - to train local healthcare professionals in government healthcare institutions in Tamil Nadu to reduce infant mortality rates (IMR) and maternity mortality rates (MMR). Tamil Nadu is one of the leading states in India with an IMR of 17 against the national average of 34 and an MMR of 67 per 100,000 births. The EMCH Programme has helped augment the government's efforts to tackle preventable causes of both infant and maternal deaths, with the aim of attaining a single digit IMR and ensuring safer pregnancies for more women. These efforts also contribute towards achieving the larger UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 of Good Health and Well-Being.

"Having a baby is a significant phase in a woman's life and this State Government is committed to ensure that every mother should have access to quality Antenatal Services and safe confinement on par with international standards," said Dr C. Vijayabasker, Honourable Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Tamil Nadu.
More than 1,000 doctors, nurses and public health leaders and officials from Tamil Nadu have participated in the three-year EMCH Programme. Through pedagogy workshops, management training, dialogue sessions, symposia and a study visit to Singapore just last week, the participants had the chance to share their knowledge and experience with their counterparts from Singapore, with all parties gaining valuable insights and perspectives from the learning exchange. Among the trained pool of healthcare practitioners, 50 Master Trainers were identified and received additional training on how to cascade their knowledge to their peers in the industry.

As part of the EMCH Programme, a multi-disciplinary team of 26 healthcare professionals, including obstetricians, gynaecologists, midwives, emergency paediatricians, neonatologists and allied healthcare professionals from KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) in Singapore, shared their expertise on CORE (Combined Obstetric Resuscitations and Emergencies Training) for better management of high risk pregnancies arising from postpartum haemorrhage, eclampsia and sepsis.

Mr Jaryll Chan, SIF's Director of Programmes said, "At the SIF, we believe in leveraging our strengths and learning from one another to enhance the effectiveness of our programmes that enrich lives and effect positive change. I am heartened that this collaboration between the Singapore and Tamil Nadu medical communities has contributed to safer pregnancies for women and healthier babies, setting the stage for stronger friendships to grow not just between governments, but between our institutions and our people."

Mr Benedict Cheong, TFI's Chief Executive, said, "Good health care is an essential pillar of the economic and social development of any community. We are pleased to know that this capability-building programme has facilitated a good learning exchange between healthcare professionals from Singapore and Tamil Nadu, leading to good outcomes such as improved nursing processes and practices in the area of antenatal and postnatal care. In the long run, we hope that this will bring about better healthcare support for the community and enhance the networks of cooperation between Tamil Nadu and Singapore."
Professor Ivy Ng, SingHealth's Group Chief Executive Officer, said, "SingHealth is privileged to have partnered the DH&FW, Government of Tamil Nadu to share expertise in the management of high-risk pregnancies, obstetric and neonatal emergencies. This mutually beneficial collaboration has enabled both organisations to nurture a strong and sustainable pipeline of healthcare professionals to provide quality antenatal and maternal care."

Dr Shephali Tagore, Director, O&G International Medical Programme, and Senior Consultant, Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, KKH, who is also SIF Specialist Team Leader in the EMCH Programme said, "The past three years have been a great opportunity for us as healthcare providers to share our experiences - through these shared resources and expertise, we believe that we have helped play a small part in enabling safer pregnancies and deliveries in Tamil Nadu. Learning happens both ways - we too have definitely taken away insights and learnings from our Indian counterparts on their approach to maternity care and how they overcome challenges."

The EMCH Programme is yet another collaborative project in India in healthcare - one of the key focus areas of the SIF's work - and joins the ranks of similar maternity and child health programmes in Tamil Nadu (2009 - 2013) and Karnataka (2015 - present). It also marks another milestone in the 23- year friendship between the SIF and India to uplift lives and build enduring friendships between our people.
About Singapore International Foundation
The Singapore International Foundation makes friends for a better world. We build enduring relationships between Singaporeans and world communities and harness these friendships to enrich lives and effect positive change. Our work is anchored in the belief that cross-cultural interactions provide insights that strengthen understanding. These exchanges inspire action and enable collaborations for good. Our programmes bring people together to share ideas, skills and experiences in areas such as healthcare, education, the environment, arts and culture, as well as livelihood and business. We do this because we believe we all can, and should, do our part to build a better world, one we envision as peaceful, inclusive and offering opportunities for all.

Find out more at https://bsmedia.business-standard.comwww.sif.org.sg
About Temasek Foundation International
Temasek Foundation International is a Singapore-based non- profit philanthropic organisation that funds and supports programmes, which aim to build capabilities with programme partners in Asia and beyond. These programmes enable human and social capital development, contributing towards a more vibrant and connected global community, with positive networks of cooperation. The programmes also aim to enhance capabilities in the areas of healthcare, education, public administration, urban management and disaster-response. Temasek Foundation International is a member of the Temasek family of foundations.
For more information on Temasek Foundation International, visit: http://www.temasekfoundation-international.org.sg
About Singapore Health Services (SingHealth)

The SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre draws on the collective strengths of SingHealth and Duke-NUS Medical School to drive the transformation of healthcare and provide affordable, accessible, quality healthcare. With over 40 clinical specialties, a network of acute hospitals, national specialty centres, polyclinics and community hospitals, it delivers comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and integrated care. In 2018, the Sengkang General Hospital and Sengkang Community Hospital will be completed to serve the community in the north-east of Singapore. To enhance community care, the new Outram Community Hospital on SGH Campus will be completed in 2020.
For more information, please visit: http://www.singhealth.com.sg
Members of the SingHealth group:

Hospitals (Tertiary Specialty Care): Singapore General Hospital, Changi General Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital (expected completion: 2018)
National Specialty Centres (Tertiary Specialty Care): National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Dental Centre Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore, National Neuroscience Institute, and Singapore National Eye Centre
SingHealth Polyclinics (Primary Care): Bedok, Bukit Merah, Marine Parade, Outram, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Sengkang, and Tampines
SingHealth Community Hospitals (Intermediate and Long-term Care): Bright Vision Hospital, Sengkang Community Hospital (expected completion: 2018), Outram Community Hospital (expected completion: 2020)
About KK Women's and Children's Hospital
KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) is a recognised leader and Singapore's largest tertiary referral centre for Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Neonatology. Founded in 1858, the 160-year-old academic medical institution leads in patient-centred management of high risk conditions in women and children. More than 500 specialists adopt a compassionate, multi-disciplinary and holistic approach to treatment, and harness medical innovations and technology to deliver the best medical care possible.
Accredited as an Academic Medical Centre, KKH is a major teaching hospital for all three medical schools in Singapore, Duke-NUS Medical School, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. The 830-bed hospital also runs the largest specialist training programme for Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics in the country. Both programmes are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education International (ACGME-I), and are highly rated for the high quality of clinical teaching and the commitment to translational research.
For more information, please visit: http://www.kkh.com.sg
Media Contact: Prakruti Jani prakruti.jani@pointninelintas.