ABC News, United Nations and PIH team up to strengthen maternal health
Posted on Oct 25, 2011
"Obscene" is the word Partners In Health co-founders Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl use to describe the number of women who die preventable deaths during childbirth each year. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 1,000 women die every day from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications – 99 percent of those deaths take place in developing countries.
This fall, PIH joined ABC News and the United Nations Foundation and several other organizations in the network’s Million Moms Challenge. By connecting millions of Americans with millions of mothers in developing countries around the world, the goal is to work together as we renew and strengthen our response to the critical issues of pregnancy, childbirth and children's health.
The initiative – which began in September – will lead up to a one-hour prime time special on maternal health anchored by Diane Sawyer on December 16, 2011.
Join us on November 8 for the Million Moms Challenge's Baby Shower for Global Good, a live event on Twitter to raise awareness for underserved moms around the globe. Follow #AMillionMoms to particpate in the conversation.
Paul Farmer calls for improved obstetric care in developing countries on ABC News
“We shouldn’t be taking shortcuts if we want to drop maternal mortality,” said Paul Farmer. “You have to invest in prenatal care. You have to make sure that complicated deliveries are attended by skilled providers, and I think that is happening all over the world.”
“We’re seeing rates of maternal mortality drop as we make better investments,” continues Farmer. “There shouldn’t be a double standard; double standards don’t make sense. If you want to break the cycle of poverty and disease, you have to invest in public health but you also have to invest in medicine, family planning and modern obstetrics.”
Join the call to make healthy pregnancies, safe births and children who survive and thrive a basic right around the world.
Join the challenge and sign the petition.
ABC news highlights PIH’s Maternal Mortality Reduction program in Lesotho
In the tiny African nation of Lesotho, an alarming number of women – 1 in 48 – die during childbirth. Even minor complications often become life-threatening conditions, primarily due to the lack of basic medical care.
PIH’s Maternal Mortality Reduction Program at Bobete Health Center has trained 100 maternal health workers (MHWs) to accompany pregnant women living in remote villages surrounding Bobete for treatment during their pregnancies and for safer deliveries. During the first year of the program, deliveries at Bobete Health Center rose 350 percent. PIH has trained over 650 MHWs across its 7 rural clinics and at the PIH-supported hospital in Mamohau.
Learn more about PIH’s work in Lesotho.
