Picture gotten from World Health Organization Blog
As part of SCIDaR’s continued devotion to ensuring that no woman dies giving birth, we are thrilled to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Catalytic Opportunity Fund for Introduction and Scale-Up of New and Lesser-Used Postpartum Hemorrhage Medicines (NLUM-PPH COF).
Postpartum hemorrhage- PPH (excessive bleeding after childbirth) is one of the leading causes (27%) of maternal mortality in Nigeria. While PPH is preventable and can be managed, several factors, such as, poor care-seeking behavior, and delivery systems continue to contribute to high mortality rates.
Another critical issue contributing to the high mortality is the poor quality of medicines used for preventing and treating postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). In Nigeria, up to 70% of Oxytocin—the preferred drug for PPH—fails quality tests. This is attributable to ineffective storage and transport options.
Between 2018, and 2023, the WHO recommended Heat Stable Carbetocin (HSC) for PPH prevention and Tranexamic Acid (TXA) for treatment, setting the global foundation for wider adoption of these medicines. Ones that do not need cold chain storage.
The Catalytic Opportunity Fund, managed by RHSC and the Clinton Health Access Initiative and funded by MSD for Mothers and FCDO, supports country and sub-national efforts at scaling up the use of heat-stable Carbetocin (HSC) and Tranexamic Acid (TXA).
Through this new grant, we aim to implement preparatory activities to scale up the use of heat-stable carbetocin (HSC) and tranexamic acid (TXA) in Cross River State, Nigeria.
Cross River has a maternal mortality ratio of 876/100,000, which is significantly higher than the national average of 512/100,000 (NDHS 2018). We will collaborate with the government to update state policies and provide technical support, including the training of master trainers and the rollout of facility-based training for healthcare workers, along with mentorship and supportive supervision.
As part of efforts to address maternal mortality in Nigeria, SCIDaR has led, the Smile for Mothers consortium, in partnership with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB). With funding from MSD for Mothers, the program successfully introduced and scaled up heat-stable Carbetocin (HSC) use in Lagos, Kano, and Niger states over the past four years. The program has been instrumental in supporting the Federal and State Governments of Nigeria in improving PPH response. Building on this success, SCIDaR in collaboration with the Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF) and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and with co-funding from MSD for Mothers and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), is now supporting national efforts to roll out a comprehensive PPH prevention, early detection, and treatment bundle across seven states.
Additionally, SCIDaR funded by Ferring Pharmaceutical undertook research to investigate the gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding diagnosis and treatment of preeclampsia and eclampsia in Kano state, Nigeria.
SCIDaR remains committed to supporting the federal government and other stakeholders in Nigeria to achieve the goal of reducing maternal mortality in the country according to the WHO recommendation.
Stay tuned for more updates as we work towards improving maternal health in our community!
