International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

The LOGIC  Initiative, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a programme created by FIGO to improve maternal and newborn health policy and practice in eight countries in Africa and South Asia, through the capacity improvement of national professional organisations of gynecology and obstetrics. The countries involved are: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, India, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, and Uganda. 

“The vast majority of maternal deaths are preventable, yet many thousands of women - especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia - are dying daily as a result of complications in pregnancy and childbirth. The survival chances and health of a newborn baby are closely linked to the health and well-being of its mother. Quality newborn care starts before birth, during pregnancy, and a safe delivery with high quality postnatal care is essential for a newborn baby’s chance of survival,” explained Professor David Taylor, the LOGIC Project Director.

In 2009 the FIGO LOGIC Initiative was launched at the XIX FIGO World Congress in South Africa with the objective of strengthening the role of professional organisations in influencing maternal and newborn health policy and improving clinical practice. 

“Since the beginning, we have provided support to the national organisations involved to improve their organisational capacity through dedicated training on every aspect of their work, including governance, leadership, administration of human resources, financial management, advocacy and policy change, and the improvement of clinical practice by the implementation of clinical guidelines and protocols and the development of maternal death reviews,” he added. 

“Through site missions and coaching by international experts, we have enhanced their profiles and performance: as a result, two of them, the Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Uganda (AOGU) and the Societé de Gynécologues et Obstétriciens du Burkina (SOGOB), have been approached by their respective Ministries of Health to lead national programmes of maternal death reviews.”

The completion of the project is set for October 2013, but some other important results are already tangible. For instance, with the collaboration and support of  partners  such as Save the Children, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the White Ribbon Alliance,  AOGU  helped to influence the Ugandan government to increase funding for reproductive health by 30%.

“One of the objectives of the programme is to promote collaboration between the participating professional organisations to facilitate exchange of knowledge and best practice. We hope and expect further positive achievements to extend the impact of the LOGIC Initiative beyond the current borders,” Professor Taylor ended.

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