<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><xml><records><record><source-app name="HighWire" version="7.x">Drupal-HighWire</source-app><ref-type name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Serbanescu, Florina</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Kruk, Margaret E.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Dominico, Sunday</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Nimako, Kojo</style></author></authors><secondary-authors></secondary-authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Context Matters: Strategies to Improve Maternal and Newborn Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Global Health: Science and Practice</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2022</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2022-04-28 00:00:00</style></date></pub-dates></dates><elocation-id><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">e2200119</style></elocation-id><doi><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">10.9745/GHSP-D-22-00119</style></doi><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">10</style></volume><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2</style></issue><abstract><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Key MessagesAlthough effective evidence-based interventions at birth to save mother's and newborns' lives exist, challenges related to context-specific health system design and service quality hinder progress in reducing maternal and newborn mortality.To reduce maternal and newborn mortality, mothers should labor and deliver at a facility that can perform advanced services and provide appropriate care when complications arise.When designing and implementing maternal and newborn health programs, the local context should be centered to maximize the impact of these programs.See related article by Dominico et al., Nimako et al., and Prasad et al.Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for only 15% of the world's population but bears nearly 70% of the global burden of maternal deaths and about 40% of global newborn deaths.1,2 With the current pace of progress in the region, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which include a provision to reduce global maternal mortality to less than 70 per 100,000 live births and universal access to sexual and reproductive health services by 2030, cannot be achieved without rapidly increasing availability, access, demand for, and utilization of existing health services.3More than half of maternal and newborn deaths result from complications during childbirth and are largely preventable.4 Managing existing or emerging complications in health facilities with adequate capabilities and staff to deliver available interventions for mothers and babies has been found to reduce an estimated 71% of newborn deaths, 33% of stillbirths, and 54% of maternal deaths.4 By all standards, effective evidence-based interventions at birth exist, but context may change their effectiveness. Knowledge of the clinical requirements for saving mothers' and newborns' lives do not, however, translate into real progress in many places in sub-Saharan Africa due to challenges in health system design and quality that create intrinsic barriers to timely and …</style></abstract></record></records></xml>