Briefing addresses post-tsunami health care needs in South Asia
12 April 2005
Jhpiego hosted its first-ever congressional briefing on
April 12: "After the Tsunami: Meeting the Health Care Needs of Women and
Children in South Asia." Sponsored by the Congressional Caucus on Women’s Issues,
a standing-room only crowd learned about recent developments in health care
delivery in Indonesia—one of the hardest-hit countries.
Dr. Leslie Mancuso, President and CEO of Jhpiego, welcomed
attendees and spoke about her recent meetings with Indonesian midwives
struggling to reestablish services for patients. Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) provided
greetings on behalf of the Women’s Caucus. A nurse by profession, and chair of
the Congressional Nursing Caucus, Congresswoman Capps eloquently addressed the
urgent need to provide basic health care to women and children affected by the tsunami.
Speakers included Robert Laprade, Director of Emergencies
and Crisis at Save the Children; Anne Hyre, Senior Midwife and Preservice
Training Advisor, Jhpiego Indonesia; and Melanie Brooks, Communications
Officer, CARE Canada. Each speaker has had recent on-the-ground experience in
Aceh province, Indonesia—an area devastated by the earthquake and tsunami.
They provided compelling, first-hand insights into the medium- and
long-term efforts that will be needed to reestablish adequate maternal and
child health care in the region.
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Congresswoman Lois Capps and Dr. Leslie Mancuso
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Robert Laprade, Melanie Brooks, Dr. Leslie Mancuso and Anne Hyre
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Attendees sign-in and pick up materials
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Attendees eat lunch and browse materials before panel discussion
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Laprade, Mancuso and Hyre discuss their experiences in Indonesia
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Mancuso and Brooks talk with attendees after the briefing
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While significant progress has been made since the December
26 tsunami, much remains to be done to guard against infection, disease and
preventable death. Jhpiego, Save the Children and CARE have been working
collaboratively to rebuild clinics and hospital facilities, help train and
reeducate midwives, and reestablish midwifery services in affected regions.
For more information about Jhpiego’s activities, see
the Media Center. Please visit Save the Children and
CARE for updates
on their programs.
About Jhpiego
For 35 years, Jhpiego, (pronounced "ja-pie-go"), has empowered front-line health
workers by designing and implementing simple, low-cost, hands-on solutions that
strengthen the delivery of health care services, following the
household-to-hospital continuum of care. We partner with community- to
national-level organizations to build sustainable, local capacity through
advocacy, policy and guidelines development, and quality and performance
improvement approaches.
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