According to the World Health Organization (WHO), excessive blood loss is one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related injury and death, especially in developing regions. Researchers working with Niger’s Ministry of Health announced in January 2023 that cases of blood loss-related maternal death in Niger’s health care facilities have reduced by more than 50% due to the introduction of a three-step process. The findings from their work have offered stark improvements to women’s health care in Niger and will be influential throughout the developing world.

Access to Women’s Health Care Reduces Poverty

Niger has the world’s highest fertility rate, standing at approximately seven births per female, partly due to gender inequality. This number has the potential to drop as women’s access to adequate health care and education increases.

Advances in accessibility and quality of women’s health care in Niger are crucial to the nation’s development. When mortality rates among women and children are lower, women tend to have fewer children and contribute more to their local economies. Higher household incomes lead to increased educational and economic opportunities for children, which can help them break the cycle of poverty. Equity for women in health care also leads to other positive outcomes for women’s rights.

According to findings published in the National Library of Medicine, national economic performance and overall societal health benefits when women have better health care. Niger, with its economy that has struggled to expand for years despite its rapidly growing population, welcomes these positive advancements in maternal health care.

In 2021, the government of Niger sought to address the inadequacies of its health care system. With financial backing from the World Bank, it created a 15-year plan to improve health care systems. One of the goals of the plan is to improve women’s health care equity by expanding access and services to more women and girls.

Life-Saving Maternal Treatment is Accessible and Affordable

The methods determined through the research of the NGO Health and Development Initiative (HDI) together with the Ministry of Health include “a cheap and easy-to-store” drug called misoprostol, according to the BBC. The first step involves administering the drug to decrease the bleeding.

After a 20-minute observation period, if the bleeding continues, a health care worker will insert “a condom attached to a catheter” into the woman’s uterus to inflate. As a last resort, the mother will receive a “non-inflatable anti-shock garment” to allow the woman time to move to surgery for critical blood transfusions. The three-step process has proven effective in preventing the deaths of 1,417 Nigerien women over the six-year research period.

This three-step process has led to more than a 50% reduction in deaths related to postpartum hemorrhaging and has helped to safeguard tens of thousands of women from excessive blood loss.

Looking Ahead

Scientists encourage developing and middle-income countries to introduce this process due to its striking success in Niger and the low cost and accessibility of the required materials. The findings from this research show that health care facilities can address one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related mortality through an easily replicable method.

The work that the HDI and the Nigerien Ministry of Health performed gives hopeful signs for the future trajectory of women’s health care in Niger and other developing nations. It also highlights the important work of NGOs, international organizations and governments around the globe and their efficacy in addressing the critical needs of impoverished people.

– Eric Kersten
Photo: Flickr