By The PPH Foundation

Every woman deserves the right to life, dignity and access to quality health care, including safe childbirth. Yet, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) remains the leading cause of maternal deaths globally, accounting for over 20% of maternal deaths.

In Kenya, the latest figures paint a stark reality: the national maternal mortality ratio stands at 355 deaths per 100,000 live births, translating to roughly 6,000 preventable maternal deaths every year. PPH is reported to cause around 40% of these deaths, more than any other cause.

These deaths are not inevitable. PPH is largely preventable and treatable when women have access to timely, respectful, and effective emergency obstetric care; a responsibility that health systems, policymakers, and society must uphold. In that context, failing to ensure such care becomes a violation of fundamental human rights: the right to life; the right to health; and the right to dignity.

Prof Moses Obimbo, Project Lead of the End PPH Initiative, observes: “Every woman deserves a safe birth. When a mother bleeds after childbirth and does not receive prompt care, we lose more than a life; we lose family dignity, futures, communities.” Dr Kireki Omanwa adds: “Denying emergency obstetric care when solutions exist is not simply poor health service, it is a breach of a woman’s right to health.”

Gaps in access deepen injustice. Many women in rural, remote or underserved areas lack transport, lifesaving blood transfusion services, and skilled birth attendance. Supplies such as uterotonics and emergency blood are often unavailable, facilities may be under‑staffed, and referral systems weak. These systemic failures disproportionately harm women with the least resources, perpetuating inequality.

But there is hope. Recent global guidance emphasises that with readiness, appropriate resources, and strong health systems, deaths from PPH can be drastically reduced. The End PPH Initiative, through training, improved blood-availability schemes, community awareness, advocacy, and policy engagement, is working to make safe childbirth a reality for every woman.

As we mark Human Rights Day, we reaffirm: maternal health care is non-negotiable. Safe childbirth, emergency readiness, and timely PPH response are not luxuries; they are rights. For every woman. For every community.

Sources:

• World Health Organization, “First Global Call for Data on Postpartum Haemorrhage,” 2025
• Kenya Health Information System, National Maternal Mortality Data, 2024
• African Science News, “The Hidden Toll of Maternal Mortality in Kenya,” 2025
• PMNCH, “Maternal Health and Emergency Obstetric Care Reports,” 2024