Speeches and Remarks

Remarks by Ambassador James F. Moriarty at the Launch of New USAID Project on Family Planning and Maternal Health - Mayer Hashi

Ambassador Moriarty attended the launch of Mayer Hashi- a USAID project on Family Planning and Maternal Health on Thursday, July 23, 2009. Mayer Hashi will promote safe motherhood by increasing knowledge, access and availability of long-acting and permanent contraceptive methods of family planning. Mayer Hashi will also work to raise awareness among health care workers about pregnancy-related complications, allowing them to identify and treat these life-threatening conditions at an early stage and save lives. In his remarks he said, “The Mayer Hashi program is an example of our commitment to increasing our investment and support to maternal and newborn health care and family planning programs in Bangladesh.”

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Assalam-u-Alaikum and good morning.

Honorable Minister for Health, Dr. A.F.M. Ruhal Haque. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us today for this very special occasion.

Representatives from the Government of Bangladesh; Members of UN Agencies, NGOs, distinguished guests, ladies and gentleman: thank you for joining us today.

I am delighted to be here to launch the U.S. Government’s new health initiative, Mayer Hashi. In English, Mayer Hashi means "smiling mother". The name conjures up the image of a healthy, smiling mother free from the dangers of repeated, unplanned pregnancies.

In his June 4 Cairo speech to the Muslim world, President Obama emphasized that the United States will expand partnerships with Muslim communities to promote child and maternal health. The President also recently launched a new Global Health Initiative focusing on broad global health challenges, including child and maternal health and family planning. The initiative adopts an integrated approach to fight diseases, improve health, and strengthen health systems.

The Mayer Hashi program is an example of our commitment to increasing our investment and support to maternal and newborn health care and family planning programs in Bangladesh. The Mayer Hashi Program is a $12 million health initiative funded by the U.S. Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Mayer Hashi will promote safe motherhood by increasing knowledge, access and availability of long-acting and permanent contraceptive methods of family planning. Mayer Hashi will also work to raise awareness among health care workers about pregnancy-related complications, allowing them to identify and treat these life-threatening conditions at an early stage and save lives.

I would like to congratulate you all for the remarkable progress Bangladesh has made in population and health over the past 30 years. During this time, Bangladesh brought down the total fertility rate by more than half, from 6.3 live births per woman to 2.7. 56% of couples now use contraceptives, compared to just 8% in 1971. We know there is more work to be done, but we commend the government and NGOs on their efforts to improve family planning and health in Bangladesh.

Despite this success, more than 12,000 women in Bangladesh die each year due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. According to the latest Bangladesh Demographic Survey, 62% of women do not want more children, yet only 7% are using long-acting and permanent methods of family planning.

The Mayer Hashi Program will respond to the unmet needs for contraception of men and women in Bangladesh and will support their desire to delay, space, or limit births. Focusing on more effective means of family planning, this program will specifically include support for vasectomies, female sterilization, intrauterine devices, and implants. As a result, many more couples will be able to reduce unplanned pregnancies and women will avoid the associated risks and complications.

The U.S. Government works closely with the Government of Bangladesh to achieve key health goals. The U.S. Government, through USAID, is donating more than $40 million this year to ensure better maternal and child health care in Bangladesh. This money provides low-cost, quality family planning, maternal and child health care services.

The U.S. Government is also working with the Government of Bangladesh to reduce the fertility rate to less than two children per woman and improve the use of long-acting and permanent family planning methods. These methods allow families to decide how many children they will have, while requiring fewer visits to health providers. This saves clients time, effort, and money while easing the patient load at health facilities.

We have some work to do to achieve this goal. The most recent Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey revealed that long-acting and permanent methods of contraception are the least used methods in Bangladesh. This is due to both misinformation and the lack of adequate service delivery facilities for a large segment of the population. This is where our new health initiative, Mayer Hashi, comes in.

Mayer Hashi will support the Government of Bangladesh’s efforts to increase access to long-acting and permanent contraceptive methods. Increasing access will help couples achieve their family planning goals. The project will fund awareness campaigns targeting health professionals and families to inform Bangladeshis about the range of family planning methods. The project will increase the quality of services by training 22,000 health professionals at the national, regional, and community levels in Bangladesh to effectively support family planning services in clinics and hospitals.

The Mayer Hashi health program will help individuals who do not currently use contraceptives but would like to space or limit their families. It will train government and NGOs to provide long-acting and permanent methods for family planning to five million married couples in Sylhet, Chittagong and Barisal. The project will also increase the availability of contraceptive products in remote areas of Bangladesh where they are not readily available. I am confident that our combined efforts with the Ministry of Health, key donors and our implementing partners will take Bangladesh many more steps forward in improving family planning and maternal health services.

Since Bangladesh’s independence, the United States Government has provided more than $5 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh. With this new initiative, we continue to work alongside you to make further progress in the country’s health sector.

Thank you for joining me this morning. And thank you for your hard work and contributions to this important new project. My special thanks to Professor Dr. Ruhal Haque, Honorable Minister of Health, for attending this event. We appreciate your support for this important joint effort.

I would like to conclude by wishing you great success in achieving a Sonar Bangla for your children. Together, we can improve public health for all in Bangladesh.

Thank you. 

(As prepared for delivery)