"Make every mother and child count" is the slogan of World Health Day 2005. This year's World Health Report calls for a new momentum to address and improve maternal, neonatal and child health. Every year 10 million children die, 4 million of these in the first four weeks of life (the neonatal period). Policy tensions exist between maternal health and child health, and between clinical and community-based approaches. Who matters most - the mother or the child? Is skilled care the only answer and what happens while coverage is still low? These conflicts are explored in a new key issues page on maternal, newborn and child health now available on the HRC/Eldis Health Resource Guide. This clear and concise guide outlines the key policy debates, and examines what action is needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals on maternal and child health. Written by experts in the field, the guide proposes a win-win solution which will benefit mothers, babies and children, while contributing to stronger health systems.