Regional Collaborations As a Way Forward for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health: The South Asian Healthcare Professional Workshop (Commentary) (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION The third in a series of regional Healthcare Professional Association (HCPA) Workshops, organized by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), in collaboration with the International HCPAs, was held on 22-25 November 2008 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The International HCPAs include: International Pediatric Association, International Federation of Gynecology & Obstetrics, International Council of Nurses, International Federation of Midwives, International Pharmaceutical Federation, and Council of International Neonatal Nurses. The workshop brought together representatives of HCPAs from six Asian countries (5 from South Asia, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan; and Myanmar from East Asia). The aim of the workshop was to strengthen the ability of the participating HCPAs to promote, design, and implement plans and policies for achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 and 5 [MDG 4 and 5 call for the reduction of child mortality and improvement of maternal health respectively]. Additional objectives included identification of solutions to common challenges to improving service-delivery for maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in the region.