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<p>The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) review of maternal health results
in 2018 made five recommendations, including adopting a long-term approach to maternal
health planning, linking strongly to health system strengthening work and increasing
the focus on quality of care. We welcomed all recommendations and the 2020 follow
up review acknowledged our swift progress, finding that the UK had 'enhanced its emphasis
on the need for good quality, respectful care for women and their babies and increased
focus on adolescents and poorer women within its new family planning programmes'.
ICAI also recognised the UK Government's commitment to Ending the Preventable Deaths
of Mothers, Newborns and Children by 2030 and to international advocacy for comprehensive
sexual reproductive health and rights.</p><p>Using internationally accepted methods,
we estimate that the UK Government has spent an average of approximately £1 billion
per year on Maternal Newborn and Child Health between 2013/14 - 2017/18, on a range
of bilateral and multilateral programmes. Maternal health remains a key priority throughout
our health work, with recently announced investments including £600 million to the
Reproductive Health Supplies programme to buy family planning supplies for millions
more women and girls in the world's poorest countries each year.</p><p>The UK commitment
to ending preventable deaths has created further momentum to ensure the right balance
in the FCDO portfolio across family planning, health services and other essential
interventions for maternal and newborn health and wellbeing. This holistic approach
is essential if we are to maximise the impact of our money and policy, and more important
than ever before given the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic is creating for health
services across the world. In responding to the ICAI recommendations, we are reviewing
our approach to maternal health results to include more context based country data
and to increase our focus on long-term, sustainable change.</p>
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