An affordable, generic medicine prevents excessive bleeding after childbirth. We can save thousands of lives by making this medicine - misoprostol - available to women who cannot reach a facility in time to deliver. Simple to use, a mother swallows three tablets immediately after delivering her baby to prevent life-threatening hemorrhaging. Since introducing the medicine to Tanzania, VSI is working to ensure that women can access this life-saving medicine when and where they need it most.
Every day, 250 mothers die in childbirth from excessive bleeding, the single largest contributor to maternal mortality globally. For women living in rural Tanzania this risk is a reality. More than half of Tanzanian mothers still deliver their babies at home. Mothers are needlessly dying from preventable postpartum hemorrhaging because they are without access to essential medical care and medicines.
A simple solution exists. VSI focuses on bringing practical health solutions to women and health workers where they live - in their home and communities. In Tanzania, we are increasing access to misoprostol, an essential, life-saving medicine. Three tablets swallowed immediately after the birth of her baby, can dramatically change the outcome of childbirth for a mother. This project is striving to increase women's access to this medicine with a comprehensive approach from village to hospital.
The project is uniquely scalable. Tanzania has been unable to lower maternal death rates to meet the U.N.'s 2015 goal of 75% reduction. With this medicine and with your support, we hope to accelerate progress and save lives.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
