Safer beginnings: Strengthening maternal and newborn care across Uzbekistan

A safe birth depends on much more than a single piece of equipment or one training course. It requires skilled health professionals, reliable technology, clear clinical standards, effective referral systems and continuous monitoring. This health-system approach was at the heart of the Maternal and Perinatal Health Programme implemented through the Ishonch Fund.

The Ishonch Fund supports the principled, transparent and effective restitution of assets from Switzerland to Uzbekistan through UN programmes that benefit the people of Uzbekistan. The Fund currently has three programmes in health and education.

Implemented from September 2023 to April 2026, the health programme brought together the Government of Uzbekistan, the Government of Switzerland, the United Nations and participating UN agencies around a common objective: to strengthen maternal and newborn health services and reduce preventable deaths.

The programme was implemented by UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO in partnership with the Ministry of Health. Its USD 43.5 million budget was approved through the Ishonch Fund’s governance structures following consultation with UN development experts and the Fund’s Civil Society Advisory Council. The project document, budget, annual reports and a programme Q&A are publicly available.

Reaching every perinatal centre

The programme was originally designed to support 227 perinatal centres. During implementation, a Government reform expanded Uzbekistan’s national perinatal care network. The programme adapted accordingly and ultimately covered all 231 perinatal centres operating across the country.

This ensured nationwide coverage rather than support for a limited selection of facilities. The programme assessed facilities’ needs and strengthened their capacity through medical equipment, workforce development, updated clinical standards, digital monitoring and quality-assurance systems.

Public annual reports provide regional breakdowns of the equipment delivered and the health professionals trained. At facility level, medical equipment is registered and monitored through the national JixozMed digital asset-management platform.

Investing in a stronger health system

Of the programme’s USD 43.5 million budget, USD 40.65 million was allocated to direct programme costs and USD 2.85 million to indirect support costs, in accordance with the applicable UN cost-recovery framework.

Medical equipment, supplies and commodities accounted for the largest investment: USD 30.98 million, or approximately 76 per cent of direct programme costs. Transfers and grants to implementing partners represented USD 5.29 million; staff and personnel USD 1.95 million; contractual services USD 1.83 million; travel, including implementation and monitoring, USD 0.53 million; and other direct and operating costs USD 0.08 million.

Training, clinical-protocol development, digital systems, supportive supervision, monitoring and programme management were delivered across several of these categories. They therefore do not appear as separate budget lines.

The programme supplied 23 categories of obstetric and neonatal equipment, including ventilators, incubators, neonatal resuscitation equipment, phototherapy units, anaesthesia machines, patient monitors, delivery beds, operating tables and infusion pumps. Procurement packages also included spare parts, warranties, maintenance arrangements and technical support to help ensure that the equipment remains operational.

All procurement was conducted by UNICEF and UNFPA through international competitive tendering under United Nations rules and procedures. Tenders were advertised through the United Nations Global Marketplace, and the processes followed the principles of fairness, transparency, competition and value for money. Representatives of the Ministry of Health participated in relevant stages, while members of the Civil Society Advisory Council observed key stages of the procurement process.

Building skills and strengthening clinical standards

Equipment can save lives only when health professionals are confident and competent in using it. Through the programme, 86,910 healthcare professionals strengthened their skills. Participants included obstetricians, gynaecologists, neonatologists, paediatricians, family doctors, midwives, nurses, laboratory specialists, engineers, facility managers and other professionals involved in maternal and newborn care.

Training was delivered either directly by international and national medical experts or through a train-the-trainers approach that enabled learning to be rolled out across the country. It combined competency-based instruction, practical exercises, clinical simulation, mentoring and supportive supervision.

The training packages followed UN and internationally recognized standards and were developed with the Ministry of Health and relevant professional institutions. Participating UN agencies maintained training records, attendance registers and assessment results, and certificates were issued to participants.

The programme also supported the development, updating, translation and institutionalization of 49 national clinical protocols and 21 clinical guidelines and training resources. These documents underwent national technical review and approval and were integrated into clinical practice and medical education. The approved protocols are available through Uzbekistan’s national maternal and child health platform.

Early results—and continued public reporting

More than four million women and newborns have benefited from improved services during the programme. Early monitoring indicates that the proportion of maternal deaths assessed as preventable declined from 77.3 per cent in 2022 to 62.8 per cent. Survival among the smallest newborns also improved by approximately 13 per cent over the programme period.

These results reflect the combined contribution of better equipment, stronger clinical skills, updated protocols, improved monitoring and quality-assurance systems. They should therefore be understood as health-system results rather than as the effect of training or equipment alone.

Programme performance was monitored through health information systems, facility assessments, field visits, clinical audits, quality reviews and independent verification. Civil Society Advisory Council members had access to facilities, training activities and equipment warehouses and conducted independent monitoring visits. The programme was also subject to an independent final evaluation.

Public financial reports consolidate expenditure by UN agency and budget category, while the underlying transactions remain traceable and available for assurance and audit under United Nations rules.

The programme concluded on 30 April 2026. Its final narrative and financial reports are expected to be published in September 2026, following completion of the required validation and reporting processes. They will provide the final consolidated account of expenditure, activities and results and will be made available through the Ishonch Fund website and the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund page.

Together, these investments have strengthened the foundations for safer pregnancy, childbirth and newborn care throughout Uzbekistan—and will continue to benefit families beyond the programme’s formal completion.

Further information:Ishonch Fund documents and annual reports · Programme documents and financial information · Programme Q&A