National Development Plan, 1985-1991

The following are provisions of this Plan [Botswana National Development Plan] relating to maternal-child health care and family planning: "14.73 Maternal Child Health and Family Planning (MCH/FP) tasks during NDP6 will include: the improvement of maternal and child health and family planning promotion, follow up and participation at the home level through strengthening of the family welfare educators in this area and data collection and use; increased knowledge and support of maternal and child family planning in the general population, with special emphasis on the male population and youth; the development of an integrated approach to MCH/FP care which is effective, efficient, and acceptable at the community level; the identification of high-risk groups among pregnant women, mothers, and children and appropriate intervention; the protection of the health of mothers and infants through planning services, so that each family will be of a reasonable size, corresponding to its socioeconomic and health conditions. 14.74 Specific Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning targets are: infant mortality rate - below 50/1000 live births; women of reproductive age using FP - 25%; pregnant women attending antenatal clinics - 98%; supervised deliveries - 70%; newborn babies with birth weight of at least 2500 g - 90%; children under one year of age fully immunized - 75%. 14.75 In order to reduce infant illness and deaths caused by preventable diseases, the Expanded Programme of Immunization has increased its target to vaccination of all eligible children by the year 1990. For this to be achieved, accessibility of the services to the communities should be improved and this can only be done within the context of the overall development of the basic health services."