United Nations Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5: Augmenting the role of health professional associations

The present study aimed to assess changes in the organizational capacity of health professional associations (HPAs) before and after a structured capacity building intervention, which included strategic investment of resources at institutional and technical levels. Self-assessments of organizational capacity were conducted by seven HPAs from low-resource countries involved in the FIGO Leadership in Obstetrics and Gynecology for Impact and Change (LOGIC) Initiative in Maternal and Newborn Health. The self-assessment tool comprised a questionnaire focusing on five core organizational dimensions, completed through a-participatory and externally facilitated process. Differences were assessed using the two-sided sign test. All seven HPAs made improvements, with gains in an overall index (P = 0.017) and in the specific dimensions of culture (P = 0.016), operational capacity (P = 0.016), performance (P = 0.03), and functions (P = 0.016). Increased capacity contributed to the ability of each HPA to enhance their credibility and assume leadership in national efforts to improve maternal and newborn health. (C) 2014 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.