By Adeyemi Olusoga/Abuja
The co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Bill Gates and Melinda French-Gates have highlighted seven new innovations which if made available to those who need them, would save at least two million mothers and babies by 2030.
Writing in the 2023 edition of the Goalkeepers Report, the co-chairs also described where the world has collectively fallen short at the halfway point for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and where innovation and investment can fuel progress, particularly in the fight against the global epidemic of maternal and child mortality.
New data according to the report has shown the potential of the seven innovations that could address the leading causes of maternal and newborn deaths especially in low and middle income countries including Nigeria.
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“By making new innovations accessible to those who need them most, 2 million additional lives could be saved by 2030, and 6.4 million lives by 2040. That’s 2 million families spared an unimaginable heartbreak—and 2 million more people who can shape and enrich our world,” they write.
The innovations according to the report are:
- A bundle of interventions that can reduce postpartum hemorrhage, the No. 1 cause of maternal death, by 60% for less than $1 per package
- Bifidobacteria (B. Infantis), a new probiotic supplement that, when given to an infant alongside breastmilk, combats malnutrition—one of the leading causes of newborn deaths
- Multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) that boost survival rates for babies by helping replete nutrient stores in pregnant women and ensuring those vital nutrients are transferred to the baby
- A new one-time infusion of IV iron for women that replenishes iron reserves during pregnancy, protecting against and treating anemia, a condition that is both a cause and effect of postpartum hemorrhage and affects almost 37% of pregnant women
- Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS), which are given to women who will give birth prematurely to accelerate fetal lung growth, providing several weeks of maturation in just a few days
- Azithromycin, which reduces maternal infections during pregnancy and prevents infections from spiraling into sepsis—the cause of 23% of maternal deaths in the United States—and reduces mortality when given to infants in high-mortality settings
- An AI-enabled portable ultrasound that empowers nurses and midwives to monitor high-risk pregnancies in low-resource settings to ensure that risks are diagnosed and addressed early.
Since 2016, progress in reducing global maternal mortality has stalled with death rates rising steadily. Data shows that across the world, nearly 800 women die in childbirth every day. Though deaths of children under 5 have continued to decline since the mid-2010s, the first month of a newborn’s life continues to be the most dangerous, accounting for almost half of all under-5 deaths today. An estimated 74% of child deaths happen during a baby’s first year.
“As is so often the case in global health, innovations aren’t making their way to the people who need them most—women in low-income countries, that needs to change.We have seen over and over again that when countries actually prioritize and invest in women’s health, they unleash a powerful engine for progress that can reduce poverty, advance gender equality, and build resilient economies,” said Melinda French Gates.
“Over the past decade, the field of child health has advanced faster and farther than I thought I’d see in my lifetime. If our delivery can keep pace with our learning—if researchers can continue developing new innovations and skilled health workers can get them to every mother and child who needs them—then more babies will survive those crucial first days,” Bill Gates added.
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But there more sad news as the report shows that halfway to the deadline for the SDGs, on 18 indicators—from poverty to gender equality, education to food security, health to climate—the world is off track.
It underscores the urgent need for action, as well as a renewed global commitment to ensure a more equitable and safe future for all by 2030. For mothers and babies, having access to the quality health care they need to live long and healthy lives will require policy changes, political will, and more investment in women’s health and health care workers, including midwives.
Mark Suzman, the CEO of the Gates Foundation said: “The world has come so far, so quickly in our understanding of how to save the most fragile lives. Together, we can translate that knowledge into tangible progress—by supporting countries to access the highest-quality products known to save a mother’s and a baby’s life, by investing more in the research and development of new lifesaving tools and approaches, and by ensuring women have agency over their own health care throughout their entire journey to motherhood. The world can and must do more to achieve a healthier, more prosperous, and equal world.”
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.
About Goalkeepers
Goalkeepers is the foundation’s campaign to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals). By sharing stories and data behind the Global Goals through an annual report, the Gates Foundation hopes to inspire a new generation of leaders—Goalkeepers who raise awareness of progress, hold their leaders accountable, and drive action to achieve the Global Goals.
