The Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood (PIMHSH) was set up in 2012 under the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) to demonstrate political will and commitment of the highest office and speed up reduction of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates in the country.
In parallel with Chiefs, the Initiative source scholarships for training Community Midwifery Assistants (CMAs) who are at the helm of promoting sexual and reproductive health within their communities.
The second intervention implemented by the Initiative is the construction of maternity waiting homes. This is a strategy that aims at reducing the distance of pregnant mothers as they are required to walk from their homes to the health facility for care and delivery.
The Initiative uses Community Mobilization and Training of Chiefs as a primary prevention tool. Primary prevention is a very important aspect of health that can save the Government Millions of Kwachas as it addresses problems before they occur saving expenditures on actual conditions and improving the quality of life of the population.