2023-10-10 23:46:45
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization issued its first roadmap to address postpartum hemorrhage, which is defined as excessive bleeding following childbirth, which affects millions of women annually and is the leading cause of maternal death in the world.
Although it can be prevented and treated, postpartum hemorrhage is a serious and life-threatening complication that occurs immediately following birth, and it poses an enormous burden on the health of the mother and fetus.
Postpartum hemorrhage often occurs without warning, and its rapid onset can have devastating consequences for mothers, families and communities, leading to approximately 70,000 deaths each year.
For those who survive, it can cause disabilities and psychological trauma that last for years.
New roadmap
The roadmap sets a time frame to combat postpartum hemorrhage that extends between 2023 and 2030, and also includes priority actions to develop new and broader guidelines on postpartum hemorrhage.
These measures cover prevention, detection and treatment, scientific research to deliver innovations and increase access to proven interventions, establishing a new procurement mechanism to improve the supply of high-quality medicines and goods, advocacy and awareness-building, and training and facility-level improvements.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that severe bleeding during childbirth is one of the most common causes of maternal death, yet it can be prevented and treated to a large extent, noting in a statement that the new road map charts a way forward towards a world with There are more women with safe births and a healthy future with their families.
The roadmap aims to help countries address stark differences in PPH survival outcomes, which reflect significant inequalities in access to essential health services.
The statement says that more than 85% of deaths resulting from postpartum hemorrhage occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Risk factors for death from postpartum hemorrhage include anemia, placental abnormalities, and other complications during pregnancy such as infections and preeclampsia.
Many risk factors can be managed with good prenatal care, including access to ultrasound scanning, along with effective monitoring in the hours following birth.
If bleeding begins, it must be detected and treated very quickly.
“Every two minutes”
However, many times, health facilities lack the necessary health care personnel or resources, including life-saving agents such as oxytocin, tranexamic acid, or blood.
The Director of Sexual, Reproductive and Reproductive Health at the World Health Organization, Pascal Allotti, said that addressing postpartum hemorrhage requires a multifaceted approach that focuses on both prevention and response, preventing risk factors and providing immediate access to treatment when needed, along with broader efforts to promote women’s rights.
Allotey said that every woman, no matter where she lives, should have access to high-quality, timely maternity care, with trained health workers, basic equipment and shelves stocked with the right and effective goods, “which is crucial to treating a hemorrhage.” following childbirth and reducing maternal mortality.”
It is estimated that a woman dies every two minutes from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth.
Limited progress has been made in reducing these deaths since 2015, and the statement says the world is far off track to achieve the relevant Sustainable Development Goal targets.
The roadmap was developed through extensive consultations in which more than 130 experts in various fields participated.
WHO and its partners will provide specialized technical support to countries to adapt global guidelines to national policies, starting with regions where there is the highest burden of maternal mortality.
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