The European Commission and Maire Stopes International Vietnam on October 28 inked a project to improve reproductive health care services in Vietnam and Cambodia.

The 1.38 million EUR project will be implemented in central Thua Thien-Hue province and southern Vinh Long province of Vietnam and Ratanakiri and Svay Rieng provinces in Cambodia.

The project is aimed at strengthening the capacity of reproductive health care service providers in the targeted provinces, including the establishment of public-private combined models.

It also aims to reduce the medical expenditure for poor patients, reaching the target of popularised health insurance scheduled for 2014, contributing to implementing the UNDP’s fifth millennium development goal of improving maternal health./.