Confronting maternal mortality due to postpartum hemorrhage and unsafe abortion: a call for commitment.

In July 2012 in Dar es Salaam Tanzania more than 35 obstetricians/gynecologists nurse-midwives and public health professionals working in Africa convened at a Regional Expert’s Summit to recommit their efforts towards achieving Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG5). In discussing maternal mortality due to postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and unsafe abortion misoprostol was discussed as a simple and effective medicine that can contribute to efforts to reduce maternal mortality. Misoprostol recognized as the World Health Organization (WHO) as an essential medicine to these health problems and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has untapped potential to save women’s lives. Backed by these policy endorsements and peer-reviewed literature and drawing upon experiences of introducing misoprostol throughout Africa the experts identified three primary activities that must be accelerated. They include the scale-up of misoprostol distribution to prevent PPH for home deliveries the strengthening of efforts to provide integrated post abortion care services and the training of providers with the availability of medicines for induced abortions.