By PPH Foundation

The effort to end maternal deaths caused by postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is entering a decisive moment. Across Kenya and beyond, governments, health professionals, and organisations like PPH Foundation are proving that no woman should die while giving life. Yet, to truly achieve this vision, every sector of society must act, from policymakers and hospital managers to communities and families.

The WHO identifies PPH as a leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide and, in its 2023 guidance WHO Recommendations on the Assessment of Postpartum Blood Loss and Use of a Treatment Bundle for Postpartum Haemorrhage and the Roadmap to Combat Postpartum Haemorrhage 2023–2030, urges earlier detection, objective measurement of blood loss, and the use of a care bundle approach combining proven interventions.

Prof Moses Obimbo Madadi, e-PPH Initiative Project Lead, emphasises that knowledge must now translate into sustained commitment. “We have the evidence and the tools to save lives,” he says. “Our challenge is to ensure every health worker, in every county, can apply this knowledge confidently and consistently.”

On the global stage, Prof Anne Beatrice Kihara, immediate former president of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and a co-lead of the E-PPH initiative under the PPH Foundation, highlights that collaboration is key. At international assemblies, she has stressed the urgency of applying innovations such as heat-stable uterotonics and calibrated drapes in low-resource settings, and she has called for strengthened blood-supply systems and frontline capacity.

In Kenya, national and county-level partners must translate global guidance into local readiness. That means county governments guaranteeing the supply of essential medicines such as heat-stable carbetocin, hospital teams practising regular PPH drills, and communities supporting women to reach skilled care.

The call for safe motherhood is, above all, a human call, one rooted in compassion and shared responsibility. It is about building a culture where every pregnancy is valued and every birth is treated as a moment of life, not risk. The progress in Kenya and globally offers real hope. The use of simple, affordable technologies, stronger policies, and continuous training is already reducing deaths. But sustaining this progress requires vigilance, equity, and unity.

As Prof Obimbo concludes, “Safe motherhood is everyone’s business. When we come together, as families, professionals and leaders, we turn statistics into stories of survival and hope.” The time to act is now. Support awareness, advocate for maternal health, and help ensure that every woman, everywhere, can give birth safely and with dignity.

Sources
• World Health Organization. WHO Recommendations on the Assessment of Postpartum Blood Loss and Use of a Treatment Bundle for Postpartum Haemorrhage. Geneva: WHO; 2023.

• World Health Organization. A Roadmap to Combat Postpartum Haemorrhage 2023–2030. Geneva: WHO; 2023.
• International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). New WHO Postpartum Haemorrhage Roadmap An Essential Tool to Reduce Maternal Mortality Between 2023 and 2030. June 2023.

Photo by Greta Fotografía : https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-a-father-holding-his-newborn-baby-27355925/