Beyond financial aid: KOFIH boosts Xieng khuang maternal healthcare

Maternal healthcare in Xieng Khuang province is improving through a new voucher programme supported by the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) and the Korea University project.

Medical staff in Xieng Khuang applied for the voucher program and provided the allocated funds to a patient.

Partnering with the hospital in Xieng Khuang, the new voucher programme is intended to enable better maternal healthcare in the province.
The programme is being carried out in three hospitals - Xieng Khuang provincial hospital, Kham district hospital and Phaxay district hospital - and will continue until the end of 2025.
The programme provides crucial financial assistance to low-income pregnant women with high-risk factors, alleviating their burden to access quality medical care.
This initiative addresses a critical need in the region, where many expectant mothers face significant financial challenges that can jeopardise their health and the well-being of their unborn children.
Recently, an 18-year-old woman from Kham district, one of the beneficiaries, experienced postpartum hemorrhage and was hospitalised. Due to her financial status, she was worried about the medical costs of her recovery time in the ward. To help with the financial burden, hospital staff applied to the voucher programme and gave her the money that was provided.
The voucher programme also aims to improve the quality of hospital services.
The project seeks to enhance the overall quality of care delivered to patients through initiatives such as training healthcare providers on infection control and hygiene practices. A project team member, Taemi Kim, expressed optimism about the programme’s potential impact, saying “Maternal and child health service costs in Laos increased in August, which might cause many low-income and high-risk pregnant women to hesitate before visiting hospitals.”
“Our voucher programme aims to lift the heavy weight of financial worry off their shoulders. We want these mothers to feel cared for, supported, and able to focus on their health and their babies’ safety before worrying about financial concerns.”
KOFIH, a public agency affiliated with the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea, has been actively involved in international healthcare initiatives since its establishment in 2006.
The voucher programme in Xieng Khuang represents a significant step forward in their efforts to support maternal health and well-being in rural areas of Laos.

By Advertorial Desk
 (Latest Update September 4, 2024)