Fernandez Hospital Education and Research Foundation, the research arm of Fernandez Foundation has partnered with Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust (SSSH&ET), a Public Charitable Trust to collaborate and improve maternal and newborn health by enhancing the quality of intrapartum care in the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals run by the SSSH&ET across India.

The decision to formalise the partnership through the MoU was made after extensive evaluation and identifying the core competencies and synergies between the two organisations.

Under the proposed partnership, Fernandez will orient Sanjeevani obstetricians and staff to the midwifery philosophy of care. A three-level midwifery training programme will be set up for Sanjeevani’s nurses, combining virtual and in-person modules, designed by the Fernandez Team. The two organisations will also collaborate on research to understand the impact of training on mothers’ experiences and maternal and child health topics, including diabetes and preterm births.

Speaking on the proposed partnership, Dr Evita Fernandez, chairperson and MD, Fernandez Foundation said, “From the very beginning, Fernandez has pioneered childbirth practices that are women-centric, and which empower them to make their own choices when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth. Globally, midwifery is recognised for reducing over-medicalisation during childbirth. We seek to optimise on our success with our midwifery programme by sensitising doctors and nurses to the philosophy.”

“We all have the same goal — to deliver the best quality of care to mothers regardless of their socio-economic or cultural status. By leveraging our reach and expertise in the area, we hope to provide high-quality, evidence-based, and compassionate care for childbearing women, newborns, and families throughout the pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and early weeks of life from underprivileged communities,” added Dr C Sreenivas, Chairman, Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust. Both expressed their gratitude to UNICEF for facilitating this partnership. The collaboration will go a long way in making inroads in the healthcare system of the country.