Stronger national plans for maternal, newborn and child health.

The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, launched in 2005, is a global initiative of 170 member bodies dedicated to ensuring that all women, neonates and children remain healthy and thrive. To do this, the partnership advocates proven, cost-effective interventions that evidence has shown can save at least 7 million of the more than 10 million children who die before their fifth birthday and over 500 000 women who die in pregnancy. For improvements to be made, its leadership is urging countries and donors to work together better and avoid duplication of interventions and single-disease approaches. Instead, it calls for integrating maternal, newborn and child health into nationwide health plans. Partnership director Dr Francisco Songane explains. Francisco F. Songane trained as a medical doctor and obstetrician/gynaecologist at the University of Eduardo Mondlane in his native country, Mozambique, and at St. James University Hospital in Leeds, England. He has a Master of Public Health from Boston University and Master of Science in financial economics from the University of London, United Kingdom. In Mozambique, he was a district medical director and teacher, as well as director of the country’s second-largest hospital. He was the health minister of Mozambique from 2000–2004 and helped to launch a national health-sector strategy – a single national plan for health. He has served as an executive committee member and board member of the GAVI Alliance and was a member of Task Force 4 of the UN Millennium Project (2002–04). Songane, recognized both nationally and internationally for innovation and leadership, was appointed director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health in 2006. W HO /P .W ill ia m s