Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali

Programme Overview

Maternal and neonatal health outcomes depend heavily on the continuous quality of clinical care and the operational readiness of health facilities.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​⁣ This five-day course equips participants with practical competencies to conduct clinical audits, maintain specialised biomedical equipment, and monitor frontline staff performance. Delivered in Kigali, the programme reviews established assessment frameworks that ensure public hospitals and district health centres adhere to international care standards. Participants engage in structured reviews of health facility workflows to identify clinical gaps and reduce preventable adverse events.

The curriculum addresses the critical operational systems required for high-performing maternity and neonatal units. Participants scrutinise perinatal mortality audit cycles, neonatal intensive care unit infrastructure, and preventative maintenance protocols essential for life-saving technologies. Through detailed technical sessions, attendees evaluate workforce management techniques, competency-based staffing models, and routine performance dashboards. The learning integrates validated World Health Organization standards for improving maternal and newborn care quality, ensuring that health professionals can effectively institutionalise systematic oversight and compliance across diverse secondary and tertiary care facilities.

Special attention is given to standardising clinical governance and establishing responsive, respectful services for vulnerable groups. Participants formulate quality improvement action plans tailored to their institutions and integrate adolescent-friendly health service guidelines into routine facility operations. By examining Rwanda's experience in maternal health coordination and district-level clinical accountability, the training provides transferable insights for institutional teams seeking to optimise donor-financed interventions, strengthen departmental leadership, and establish sustainable clinical auditing systems capable of driving measurable patient-centred health gains across national public health delivery networks.

Strengthening facility-level clinical governance is critical as public health authorities scale up large maternal, child, and adolescent health operations, including major international financing initiatives such as the US$150m Investing in Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health project.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​⁣ Health ministries and hospital directorates require rigorous internal auditing systems, reliable biomedical equipment maintenance, and competent clinical supervision to convert external capital investments into measurable reductions in maternal and perinatal mortality. Establishing standard clinical audit cycles now ensures that health facilities develop sustainable institutional quality assurance mechanisms that safeguard mothers, neonates, and adolescents over the long term.

Delivered by Risalat Consultants International in Kigali, Rwanda, it combines expert-led sessions, real cases and group work, so that participants can apply what they learn in their own institution.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Principles of clinical governance and facility-based quality assurance in maternal care
• World Health Organization standards for improving maternal and newborn care in facilities
• Operationalising Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) cycles
• Establishing blame-free multidisciplinary audit committees and data collection workflows
• Practical exercise: Reviewing facility case notes and identifying avoidable clinical factors
• Infrastructure readiness standards for intermediate and intensive neonatal care units
• Maintenance, calibration, and infection control protocols for incubators, phototherapy, and CPAP units
• Medical gas supply chains, oxygen delivery safety, and continuous power resilience planning
• Fraud risk assessment and fraud risk registers
• Design and testing of internal controls
• The Three Lines model and the role of oversight
• Audit planning, evidence and documentation

It is designed for obstetric programme officers managing maternal health portfolios, hospital clinical directors and medical superintendents, maternal and child health coordinators at national and regional levels and others who want practical, current skills in fraud, audit and internal control.

The Growing Importance of Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali

Public bodies and donor-financed projects are expected to show that funds are used for their intended purpose. Auditors, oversight bodies and financiers increasingly look beyond the financial statements to the controls, records and behaviours behind them.

Fraud and control weaknesses rarely come from one failure. They grow where roles are unclear, records are incomplete and warning signs are not followed up. Teams that understand how fraud happens, and how controls stop it, protect both their institution and the people it serves.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Identify and rate fraud and control risks in their own processes
• Design controls that are proportionate and testable
• Gather and document reliable audit evidence
• Recognise red flags early and escalate them correctly
• Turn findings into practical, agreed actions

Strong fraud, audit and internal control systems help organisations:

• Reduce losses and ineligible expenditure
• Pass external audits with fewer findings
• Strengthen trust with financiers and citizens
• Respond to allegations in a fair and documented way

This Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali programme brings these elements together in a practical format, so that participants understand not only what good practice looks like but also how to introduce it in their own setting, with the people and resources they have.

Who Should Attend This Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali Training?

This programme is designed for:

• Obstetric programme officers managing maternal health portfolios
• Hospital clinical directors and medical superintendents
• Maternal and child health coordinators at national and regional levels
• Supervising midwives and heads of obstetrics and gynaecology departments
• Neonatal intensive care unit nurse managers and lead paediatricians
• Quality improvement officers in public health ministries and secretariats
• Clinical audit team leaders and facility governance committee members
• Biomedical engineers and facility operations managers in public hospitals
• Technical specialists and managers from maternal health delivery projects in Senegal
• Internal auditors and audit managers
• Finance managers and accountants
• Compliance and risk officers

The programme suits experienced professionals as well as those moving into new responsibilities. Groups that mix institutions and countries are encouraged, because participants learn a great deal from each other’s experience.

Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali Training, participants will be able to:

• Evaluate maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response systems using World Health Organization audit principles
• Analyse neonatal intensive care unit equipment management, calibration workflows, and preventative maintenance protocols
• Design healthcare worker performance tracking matrices aligned with national clinical service guidelines
• Formulate institutional quality improvement action plans to rectify identified clinical and infrastructural gaps
• Apply adolescent-friendly health service standards to routine maternal, antenatal, and postnatal care delivery pathways
• Audit emergency obstetric and newborn care facility readiness against established international service benchmarks
• Establish structured clinical governance frameworks for ongoing hospital accountability, reporting, and patient safety oversight
• Explain how and why fraud happens, using recognised fraud risk models
• Carry out a fraud and control risk assessment for a real process
• Map controls to risks using the Three Lines model

Each objective is practised during the programme through exercises, cases or group work, so that participants leave able to do it, not only to describe it.

Programme Contents and Structure

Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali Training Methodology

The training is delivered through interactive lectures, practical clinical auditing workshops, and case analysis of facility-based data.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​⁣ Participants work individually and in syndicate groups to appraise realistic hospital case records, evaluate biomedical maintenance schedules, and apply root-cause analysis tools to clinical scenarios. Facilitators guide practical exercises using standardised checklists and frameworks from international public health bodies, enabling attendees to translate technical knowledge directly into adaptable institutional action plans.

The programme combines:

• Expert-led sessions on current practice
• Regional and international case studies
• Group work and practical exercises
• Simulations and role plays where relevant
• Discussion of participants' own challenges
• Peer learning across institutions and countries
• Practical tools and templates to take back to work
• Daily reflection and action planning

Before the programme, a short pre-assessment helps the facilitators understand each participant’s role and priorities, so that examples and exercises can be adjusted to the group. Each day ends with a short reflection in which participants note what they will apply at work.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali Training, participants will be able to:

• Competency to establish and run multidisciplinary maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response committees
• Ability to design and execute preventative maintenance and calibration plans for neonatal intensive care equipment
• Proficiency in monitoring clinical workforce performance using standardised indicators and supportive supervision tools
• Capability to formulate comprehensive quality improvement action plans targeting adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes
• Practical skill in adapting health facility intake and clinical pathways to meet adolescent-friendly standards
• Strengthened institutional governance capacity to oversee donor-financed maternal and child health facility investments
• Assess fraud and control risks in their own processes
• Design and test proportionate controls

Participants leave with a personal action plan and practical tools they can use in their institution from the first week back. Institutions that send several participants can use the programme to agree shared methods and templates across teams, which makes improvements easier to sustain.

Institutional Application of Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• Fraud and corruption risk management
• Internal control frameworks
• Audit and oversight arrangements
• Follow-up of audit findings
• Integrity and reporting channels

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Risk registers and control maps
• Audit planning and testing
• Evidence and documentation
• Reporting to management and boards
• Prevention of ineligible expenditure

The programme is built so that learning moves from the classroom into the institution. Participants work on their own processes and documents where possible, and leave with an action plan that their managers can review and support.

Regional Relevance & Application

Europe

European institutions apply fraud, audit and internal control within detailed regulatory frameworks and reform agendas. Participants from Europe can compare their practice with colleagues from other regions and test how established methods work under different conditions.

Africa

Across Africa, ministries, agencies and project teams working in fraud, audit and internal control increasingly operate alongside donor-financed programmes that expect clear systems and evidence. The programme helps participants adapt good practice to the institutions and resources they work with.

Middle East

In the Middle East, national development strategies and diversification plans place growing demands on fraud, audit and internal control. Participants explore how to build the capability these plans need inside public bodies and companies.

Asia

Institutions across Asia combine rapid growth with ambitious modernisation programmes. Participants from Asia can share their experience of scaling systems quickly and learn from approaches used elsewhere.

Pacific

Small island and Pacific states face particular constraints of size, distance and capacity. The programme highlights practical, proportionate approaches to fraud, audit and internal control that suit smaller institutions.

Holding the programme in Kigali, Rwanda brings participants together away from their daily pressures, so they can compare how fraud, audit and internal control is handled in different settings. The same programme can also be delivered in-house for one institution, in its own country or online, with cases taken from its current work.

Host Country Profile – Rwanda

Programmes, Workshops, Exposures, Training Courses in Kigali, Rwanda by Risalat Consultants International

Studying away from their own country gives participants time to focus, a fresh view of their own institution and the chance to build a network with colleagues from other countries.

Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali Training Deliverables

Participants receive support before, during and after the programme, so that preparation, learning and follow-up form one continuous experience.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali Readiness Assessment
• Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali Training Manual
• Fraud Risk Register Template
• Control Mapping Matrix
• Audit Evidence Checklist
• Findings and Follow-up Tracker
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Fraud Risk Self-Assessment Guide
• Control Testing Checklist
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Institutions can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme, delivered at their premises or online. Request a proposal.

Common Challenges in Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali, And How This Training Helps

How can institutions identify and rate fraud and control risks in their own processes?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Day 1: Clinical Auditing Frameworks and Perinatal Surveillance), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions design controls that are proportionate and testable?

The programme addresses this directly on the second day (Day 2: Neonatal Intensive Care Infrastructure and Biomedical Equipment Maintenance), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions gather and document reliable audit evidence?

The programme addresses this directly on the third day (Day 3: Healthcare Workforce Performance Tracking and Clinical Supervision), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions recognise red flags early and escalate them correctly?

The programme addresses this directly on the fourth day (Day 4: Quality Improvement Methodologies and Action Planning), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions turn findings into practical, agreed actions?

The programme addresses this directly on the fifth day (Day 5: Adolescent-Friendly Standards and Institutional Governance), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where does the Maternal and Neonatal Health Facility Quality and Clinical Auditing in Kigali programme take place?

It runs from 15 Feb 2027 to 19 Feb 2027, in Kigali, Rwanda. The registration deadline is shown at the top of this page.

Who should attend?

The programme is designed for obstetric programme officers managing maternal health portfolios, hospital clinical directors and medical superintendents, maternal and child health coordinators at national and regional levels, supervising midwives and heads of obstetrics and gynaecology departments, and others who want practical skills in fraud, audit and internal control.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Risalat Consultants International.

Can this programme be delivered for our institution only?

Yes. We can deliver a tailored in-house version at your premises, in another city or online, built around your own cases. Use the proposal request on this page.

Do I need prior experience in fraud, audit and internal control?

No specialist background is required beyond experience in a related role. A short pre-assessment helps the facilitators adapt the sessions to the group.

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