New Report by the World Health Organization and Partners Calls Attention to Quality of Maternal Health Care

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By: Kayla McGowan, Project Coordinator, Women and Health Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

A new joint report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank explores how low quality care compromises health outcomes around the world—especially in low- and middle income countries. The report shines a spotlight on quality of maternal health care…read more

New Drug Shows Promise in Preventing One of the Most Common Causes of Maternal Death

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By: Kayla McGowan, Project Coordinator, Women and Health Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

A large randomized trial conducted by the World Health Organization has found that heat-stable carbetocin is as safe and effective as oxytocin in preventing postpartum hemorrhage—excessive bleeding after childbirth and one of the leading causes of global maternal deaths…read more

Exploring Group Antenatal Care in Low-Resource Settings

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By: Kayla McGowan, Project Coordinator, Women and Health Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Research in high-income countries has shown that compared to the traditional one-on-one model of antenatal care (ANC), group ANC can offer positive health outcomes. To address the evidence gap in low-resource settings, researchers recently developed a “generic” model of group ANC for low- and middle-income countries and conducted a feasibility study in urban India…read more

World Malaria Day: New Resources for Addressing Malaria in Pregnancy

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By: Kayla McGowan, Project Coordinator, Women and Health Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

While the number of deaths from malaria has declined around the world, malaria in pregnancy (MiP) continues to pose substantial health risks to pregnant women and newborns. MiP is a large contributor of global maternal deaths, and in sub-Saharan Africa, malaria infection in pregnancy accounts for approximately one in five stillbirths and one in ten newborn deaths. MiP can lead to other complications including anemia, prematurity and low birthweight…read more

What Do Women Want When It Comes to High Quality Maternal and Reproductive Health Care?

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By: Kayla McGowan, Project Coordinator, Women and Health Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Launched today on International Day for Maternal Health and Rights by the White Ribbon Alliance and partners, the What Women Want campaign aims to gather input from at least one million women and adolescent girls about how they define high quality maternal and reproductive health services. Take the one-question survey and spread the word!…read more

International Day for Maternal Health and Rights: Five Perspectives on Respectful Maternity Care

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By: Kayla McGowan, Project Coordinator, Women and Health Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Tomorrow, 11 April is International Day for Maternal Health and Rights, a call-to-action to address every woman’s right to high quality, respectful care before, during and after pregnancy. Experts in research, midwifery, obstetrics and gynecology and program implementation share insight into respectful maternity care (RMC) and how to integrate the principles of RMC into quality improvement initiatives…read more

World Health Day 2018: Maternal Health Care and Universal Health Coverage

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By: Kayla McGowan, Project Coordinator, Women and Health Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

This Saturday, 7 April is World Health Day, and this year’s theme is universal health coverage (UHC). Accessible maternal health care is a critical component of UHC that affects women, their families, communities and nations at large. We have rounded up resources exploring maternal health care and UHC…read more