“The healthy future of society depends on the health of the children of today and their mothers.” (WHO, 2005)

Maternal mortality is unacceptably high worldwide. It was estimated that in 2015, 303,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these deaths occurred in low-resource settings, and most could have been prevented.

In 2014, PNIPH conducted an assessment of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) registry in Palestine. Results showed that there was no exchange of data between primary and secondary health care facilities care providers manually recorded data on paper and there was limitted agreements on health data confidentiality.

As a result of this assessment and based on an agreement with the Ministry of Health (MoH), PNIPH partnered with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) to introduce the MCH e-Registry in Palestine. The main goal of the e-Registry is to automate data collection and analysis and trasfer data from the clinical level to the national level to support evidence-based decision making.  The MCH e-Registry was planned and implemented through a consensus-driven process with stakeholders working in maternal and child health.

The registry's database was developed to describe existing reproductive health facilities, services, human resources, and infrastructure. Antenatal and postnatal guidelines, as well as corresponding care algorithms, were updated after a series of meetings with physicians, obstetricians, pediatricians, midwives, nurses, and community health workers. Additionally, a governance structure to protect mothers' and children’s privacy and confidentiality was developed. 

As part of PNIPH’s efforts to control quality and ensure sustainability 1,500 health care providers were trained on the use of the registry in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In addition, PNIPH provided primary health care clinics throughout Palestine with computers, servers, and connectivity supplies, while internet connectivity was provided by the MoH.

Curently 360 out of a total 427 governmental clinics are now connected and using the system which helps flag high-risk pregnancies and guide care providers' clinical management.