Maternal Health Task Force
The Maternal Health Task Force strives to create a strong, well-informed and collaborative community of individuals focused on ending preventable maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide.
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Blog
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How to Close the Mental Health Gap in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
By: Tricia Bolender, Faculty and Senior Improvement Advisor, Institute for Healthcare Improvement This month on October 10th, we celebrate Mental Health Day. Indeed, there is much to celebrate, from the…
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The UN Has Officially Adopted the Sustainable Development Goals: What Does This Mean for Women and Newborns?
By: Katie Millar, Senior Project Manager, Women and Health Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Just hours ago, the United Nations’ General Assembly, or UNGA, officially adopted the…
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Strategies for Reducing and Treating Maternal Mental Health Disorders
In South Africa, 47% of pregnant women and 34% of women after birth in low-income settings experience maternal depression. Despite the high prevalence, there is no state-provided programmatic response. Resolved to develop a meaningful response to this hidden crisis, a small group of midwives, volunteer counsellors and a medical doctor envisioned integrating mental health care for mothers at all points of entry in public sector services. The program they implemented was a success and has impacted thousands of lives… read more
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Pakistan’s Maternal and Child Health Problems “Huge Stumbling Block” to Development, Long-Term Security
By: Schuyler Null, Editor, New Security Beat In the long term, improving maternal and child health is as critical to national security as any problem in Pakistan today, said a…
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Someone Like Us: Involving Peer Workers in the Treatment for Maternal Depression in Goa, India
This blog post starts in Goa. Not at the white beaches, but in the antenatal clinic at Asilo hospital in Mapusa where women in all stages of pregnancy are queuing up for antenatal check-ups. It is one of the busy days at the hospital, with women sometimes needing to stand for hours before they are seen by a doctor. At least 15% of women in this queue suffer from perinatal depression and this figure can increase to up to 30% after the baby has been born – this is what we know from our research. In a country like India, where human resources are low, health-systems ill-equipped and mental disorders heavily stigmatized, these women will always be silent sufferers and will only in rare cases get the help and care they need to overcome their condition… read more
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Three Approaches to Improving Maternal Mental Health From a Low-Resource Setting
The majority of developing countries have a high prevalence of maternal depression ranging from18-25%. Countries with a high prevalence of maternal depression need a universal approach to maternal psychosocial well-being during pregnancy and in the postnatal period. A universal approach means that all women in the perinatal period should receive an intervention on maternal psychosocial well-being, which is integrated into MNCH programs and is simple enough to be delivered by community health workers so as to prevent psychosocial morbidity… read more
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Tomorrow: Leveraging the Private Sector to Strengthen Maternal Health
Join us tomorrow, Thursday, September 17th, from 3:30 – 5 pm EST at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. and online for the policy dialogue, Leveraging the Private Sector to Strengthen…
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WHO Misoprostol Approval Means Lifesaving Treatment for Women in Low-resource Settings
A young woman arrived at a health clinic in Sierra Leone with heavy bleeding. She was suffering from postpartum hemorrhage (PPH)—or excessive bleeding after birth—the most common cause of death for women after delivery. The midwife at the clinic acted quickly, administering oxytocin, a uterotonic that helps the uterus contract to stop the bleeding. However, the facility was lacking the refrigeration needed to properly store the drug, which was also two years out of date. As a result, the oxytocin had no effect, and the woman died two hours later… read more
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Community-Based Interventions to Improve Maternal Mental Health in Resource-Constrained Countries
Recognition that pregnant and postpartum women living in resource-constrained low- and lower-middle income countries can experience mental health problems is growing. However, a double disparity remains. First, prevalence of mental health problems among women in resource-constrained countries is much higher than it is among women living in well-resourced countries, with the greatest burden among the poorest women with the least access to services. Second, while all high-income nations have substantial research evidence about the nature, prevalence and risks for perinatal common mental disorders, few resource-constrained countries have any evidence at all… read more
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ICM Americas Conference in Suriname: Invest in Healthy Pregnancy; Invest in Midwives
As world leaders prepare to announce the new global development goals for 2030, it is critical to strengthen and support midwifery care as it is well-positioned to realize the global maternal health goals. In July, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) held their 5th Regional Americas Conference in Suriname, “Invest in Healthy Pregnancy; Invest in Midwives,” which endorsed midwives taking the lead role as primary professionals responsible in promoting healthy pregnancies, and thereby ensuring healthy mothers and babies… read more