At General Hospital in New Bussa, Niger State, there has been a noticeable improvement in maternal care, particularly in the identification and management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).
During a recent visit, the Field Implementation Support Officer (FISO) observed a maternity unit where health workers now confidently measure blood loss and respond immediately, moving away from the previous practice of merely estimating loss.
“Before, we used to estimate the amount of blood lost. But now, we can measure and act immediately. That has changed everything,” the matron explained.
What is evident in New Bussa reflects a wider systems-level improvement. Across Niger, Kano, Lagos, Katsina, Plateau, Delta, and Ebonyi states, the Smiles for Mothers Project is strengthening how PPH is detected, prevented, and managed. SCIDaR is also advancing this intervention across other maternal health projects to ensure that no woman dies from preventable causes during childbirth.
Previously, even where knowledge existed, action was limited. Without the tools to accurately measure blood loss, the detection of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) was often delayed and based on a visual estimation.
With the introduction of calibrated drapes, health workers can now measure blood loss in real time, detect complications earlier, and respond faster. Structured approaches like E-MOTIVE, a bundle of evidence-based actions for early detection and rapid treatment of PPH, are improving how teams coordinate care, while the availability of uterotonics like Carbetocin is strengthening the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage at the time of delivery by promoting sustained uterine contraction.
Health workers are now more confident, response times have improved, and care is more precise. For mothers, this improvement translates to safer deliveries and a reduced risk of life-threatening complications.
In maternal health, the shift from estimation to precision is critical to saving lives.
