Saving women’s lives. Enabling policy environment for high-impact maternal health interventions: Strengthening the practice of active management of the third stage of labor in Africa. [Poster]

African women are dying of preventable or treatable causes while giving birth. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to reduce maternal mortality by 75 percent by the year 2015 is the poorest performing of the eight MDGs with only a few African countries on track to meet that goal. Maternal mortality ratio is the best proxy of a functional health system. Weak health systems in Africa hinder progress to attain the MDGs. The active management of the third stage of labor (AMTSL) is a feasible high impact intervention to treat post partum hemorrhage (PPH) which causes 34% of maternal deaths in Africa. Correct and consistent practice of AMTSL can reduce the occurrence of PPH by 60%. Surveys in 3 East African countries (Ethiopia Uganda and Tanzania) show that consistent and correct use of AMTSL is weak -- due to poor application of and outdated guidelines and a lack of systematic and effective training for health care workers. Leadership is needed to reduce maternal mortality and create policies that favor the initiation and scale-up of high-impact interventions. The East Central and Southern African Health Community’s (ECSA-HC) secretariat in collaboration with development partners assists governments to fulfill their leadership role in the areas of problem analysis advocacy reform of policies guidelines and protocols to improve health in the sub-region. (Excerpt)