Prevent Nigerian Mothers from Dying in Childbirth

Summary

An affordable generic drug stops postpartum hemorrhage. Thousands of women's lives can be saved by making it available to traditional midwives through market distribution in developing countries.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Each year, more than 340,000 women die in pregnancy and childbirth. 99% of these deaths are in developing countries and hemorrhage is the most common cause worldwide. Bleeding can be controlled in a clinic, but our projects are the first to show traditional midwives can save a woman’s life in her home, where most births take place. This is also where most maternal deaths occur in the developing world--well beyond the reach of hospitals and government health services.

How will this project solve this problem?

We support demonstration studies with traditional midwives; co-sponsor government policy meetings; train doctors and midwives to use misoprostol; and develop market distribution for the drug to be available in pharmacies & clinics nationwide

Potential Long Term Impact

The project is uniquely scalable and sustainable. With this drug, traditional midwives get their first effective technology to reduce maternal deaths. Low-cost distribution will ensure widespread access.

Project Message

“My eldest daughter died of postpartum hemorrhage four years ago. In this project we are saving women’s lives with misoprostol. If we had had this earlier, we would have saved her life too.”
- Marguam, traditional midwife trained in our study

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).

Resources