Abstract
Challenge: Vital Maternal Health Commodities Remain Inaccessible
Millions of women and children die every year from preventable causes because they lack access to life-saving commodities. The two leading causes of maternal mortality in low- and middle-income countries are postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), which is excessive bleeding after childbirth and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PE/E), which is pregnancy-related hypertension. Each year, PPH and PE/E claim the lives of over 200,000 women worldwide.
Magnesium sulfate is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the safest and most effective medication for preventing and treating severe PE/E. Similarly, WHO has identified oxytocin as the first-line medication (followed by misoprostol) for treating PPH. , Despite strong evidence that these are the most effective drugs available to treat severe PE/E and PPH, they are underused in many low- and middle-income countries
