Launching the webinar Series: Strengthening product ecosystems for maternal & newborn health
August 20, 2025
A four-part series on increasing access to quality, life-saving maternal and newborn health products.
Country action
Mozambique
Photo © 2023 WHO / Gary Chong Studios – Faris Syazwan:
Ismaziah, a community nurse and midwife, assesses the child’s health and runs through the standard medical protocol checklist.
Every Woman Every Newborn in Mozambique
Download the full profile with additional key demographics, progress against milestones, and more.
This profile was developed in May 2023, using data from 2018-2023.
National mortality targets
Maternal mortality ratio
250 per 100,000 live births by 2023
Stillbirth rate
16 PER 1,000 total births by 2023
Neonatal mortality rate
19 per 1,000 live births by 2023
Progress to meet the national maternal, newborn mortality and stillbirth reduction targets
©UNICEF/WHO.Attribution needed
Progress to meet Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere coverage targets
MNH Acceleration Plan highlights
In 2024, some of Mozambique’s MNH Acceleration Plan priorities include:
- Quality of care standards and respectful maternal care implemented in health facilities.
- Improve communication and transport for referral
- Conduct outreach clinics for hard-to-reach areas
- Develop a community scorecard on maternal and newborn health
- Review of national maternal and newborn monitoring and evaluation registers and tools to ensure data quality and integration.
- Advocacy for increasing domestic funds for maternal, newborn and child health priorities on the annual health strategic plan
- Inclusion of maternal and newborn survival and health in the national emergency preparedness and response plan.
- Inclusion of stillbirths in the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) database
©UNICEF/Quarmyne. Redait Tsegay, beneficiary, going to a health center, Neqsege
©UNICEF/Quarmyne. Attribution needed
Quality of care in Mozambique
As part of its efforts to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths, Mozambique is taking steps to improve the quality of maternal and newborn health. These include:
- Development of the National quality strategy of maternal and newborn care.
- Adaption of the World Health Organization standards of care for small & sick newborns and piloting in selected hospitals.
- Development of the quality national standards for maternal and neonatal care and piloting in selected hospitals.
News and events
New guide on respectful maternal and newborn care
August 11, 2025
A new implementation guide to help countries provide respectful, dignified care and eliminate mistreatment across maternal and newborn health services
New online course on caring for preterm and low birthweight babies
July 30, 2025
Free educational course on “Immediate Kangaroo Mother Care for Preterm and Low Birthweight Babies.”
Resources
Compendium on respectful maternal and newborn care
August 7, 2025
The compendium supports efforts to end mistreatment and achieve respectful maternal and newborn care. It is published by WHO together with UNFPA, UNICEF and the United Nations’ Special Programme on Human Reproduction (HRP), with support from Jhpiego and the MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership programme.
Maternal and Newborn Health Fund Annual Impact Report 2024
July 16, 2025
UNFPA released the Maternal and Newborn Health Fund Annual Impact Report 2024. Since 2010, countries supported by the Maternal and Newborn Health Fund have reduced maternal mortality by 40%, nearly twice the global rate, contributing to avert an estimated 75,000 maternal deaths. The Maternal and Newborn Health Fund is UNFPA’s flagship initiative to expand equitable access to quality reproductive, maternal, and newborn healthcare.
Programme manager’s handbook for maternal, child and adolescent health
July 2, 2025
The World Health Organization maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health e-handbook is a new resource for Ministry of health programme managers. It offers step-by-step guidance for implementing effective health programmes, from planning to monitoring and evaluation, with concise overviews of key activities and interventions along the life course.
The e-handbook references WHO documents, to ensure that programme managers have access to evidence-based strategies and best practices tailored to various contexts.
This e-handbook contains a prioritised list of documents; for a full list of documents go to the resource library for maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health and ageing: https://uhcc.who.int/mca/