Maternal and child deaths have become a massive challenge in the medical field today. Medical professionals are constantly working on achieving the target to put an end to maternal and child deaths and develop sustainable innovations to make progress in maternal and child health. There are several innovations that could save more than 6 million mother and children if they are invested in and used properly, states study. In the 1990s, the World Health Organisation stated that around 12.7 million children under the age of five and 5,32,00 new moms died every year. However, in the decades that followed, the annual deaths have reduced drastically and cut to almost half.
As impressive as the progress in the field of maternal and child health has been, it is not enough. The current rate of decline is still not enough to sustain the targets of the professionals. What is needed are innovative tools and approaches to accelerate progress. Therefore, in this article, we have mentioned some of the innovations that have been brought on by experts from around the world. These innovations and advancement in health technology are game-changers and will have a wide-scale impact on ensuring healthier babies and mothers and better health in the long run.
- Injectable Contraceptives– Injectable contraceptives is an extremely new formulation that combines a popular long-acting contraceptive in an easy-to-administer injection. The injectable contraceptive is already working wonders by allowing community health workers to give access to the drug directly to women. Several countries are already researching the potential for women to inject the contraceptives themselves. Moreover, the drug also helps to empower women by giving them a choice to space their pregnancies in a healthy manner.
- Kangaroo Mother Care – Studies are continually trying to find ways to give newborn babies a better chance at living a healthy life. Research has concluded that ‘Kangaroo Mother Care’ or skin-to-skin contact between mothers and their newborns immediately after birth can have fantastic health benefits. It improves breastfeeding and thermal regulation of newborns.
- Low-cost Balloon Tamponade– Women who suffer from postpartum haemorrhage can be stabilised and even treated with the help of a balloon tamponade. This is standard equipment in high-income countries. Gradually, balloon tamponades have also been adapted in low-income countries, using readily available materials. Using several easily accessible materials, healthcare professionals can now create tamponades.
- Drugs to Stop Blood Loss – It is essential for the survival of the mother that the blood loss is controlled at the time of the birth. Professionals have been working on new forms of Oxytocin that are bring developed and tested. These drugs are made in such a way that they won’t require skilled health workers to administer them. These drugs could help ensure that hundreds of women who are at risk of death due to postpartum haemorrhage are treated.