CoMoM Training
Co-production in health emphasizes the collaborative involvement of individuals, patients, families, and communities in the improvement of healthcare services. In pursuit of promoting the co-production of health, ACSIS has launched Coproduction: By Mothers for Mothers (CoMoM), an initiative that comprises a diverse group of five local mothers within the 15 COPMOD program hubs. The goal of this initiative is to increase sustainable utilization of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services by involving women and girls in planning, designing, delivering, and monitoring SRH care.
The CoMoM members will regularly audit facility performance and progress regarding women's health and equity through the CoMoM community scorecard. In addition to assessing the status of sexual and reproductive health service delivery, the members will champion and implement improvement ideas based on their audit findings.
Through the establishment of CoMoM, the empowerment of women through health marketing shops, and the creation of community shades, the co-production model is effectively implemented to improve women's health and equity. The women's health marketing shops focus on marketing and locally producing women's hygiene products, pregnancy and delivery supplies. By promoting accessibility and normalizing these essential healthcare needs, women are empowered to take control of their health. This step contributes to breaking down barriers and fostering open conversations about women's health.
Community shades, to be built in health centers, specifically cater to adolescent girls and women. These shades serve as spaces for social interaction and bridge the gap between healthcare providers and the community. By bringing health centers closer to the community and facilitating mutual understanding, these shades integrate healthcare into daily life. They create opportunities for dialogue, support, and collaboration, strengthening community engagement and support for women's health.
The CoMoM training program contains an orientation session designed to acquaint CoMoM members with their responsibilities and roles as community health leaders and introduce the CoMoM facility scorecard for SRH service quality evaluation. As part of efforts towards holistic empowerment, the women are trained in entrepreneurship skills and financial bookkeeping to manage women's health marketing shops established in their respective health institutions. The training also includes a practical session on how to broach discussion points on sexual and reproductive health issues with relatable stories for the purpose of normalizing topics that are often traditionally deemed as taboos.