Globally, the two leading causes of maternal mortality are post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PE/E) – together comprising 40% of all maternal deaths. Fortunately, treatments exist for combating these conditions. Oxytocin and misoprostol are both used to prevent and treat post-partum hemorrhage, while magnesium sulfate is the most effective treatment for seizures associate with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. Increasing the availability, affordability and quality of these maternal health supplies is critical to reducing pregnancy-related deaths.
A new report from Results for Development, “Increasing Access to Essential Maternal Health Supplies: A Scoping of Market-Based Activities, Gaps and Opportunities,” uses a market dynamics approach to identify concrete recommendations for increasing access to treatments for common but preventable causes of up to 40% of all maternal deaths.
Commissioned by the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition and funded by the MacArthur Foundation, the report focuses on four key market areas for oxytocin, misoprostol and magnesium sulfate, treatments for post-partum hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia:
- Quality assurance and verification mechanisms (supply-side);
- Product appropriateness (supply-side);
- Forecasting (demand-side);
- Procurement practices (demand-side).
