A roadmap to combat postpartum haemorrhage between 2023 and 2030

Overview

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), commonly defined as a blood loss of 500 ml or more within 24 hours after birth, is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. It affects millions of women every year and accounts for over 20% of all maternal deaths reported globally. Death from PPH is largely preventable and has been nearly eliminated in high-income countries (HICs). Yet women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to be disproportionately affected. Most maternal deaths from PPH occur in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. 

In recognition of the growing need for global action to improve PPH prevention and care, the World Health Organization (WHO) worked together with key stakeholders to develop this Roadmap to combat postpartum haemorrhage. The Roadmap outlines goals, activities and milestones for globallevel research, normative work (i.e. relating to norms and standards), implementation and advocacy, between 2023 and 2030, to address key PPH priorities and fast-track progress towards SDG target 3.1. This Roadmap establishes an innovative, solution-driven and customized strategic framework that is centred on the maternal health goals and priorities of countries with a high burden of PPH, and which calls for investments into critical areas of health systems, with special emphasis on LMICs. The Roadmap aims to align efforts and foster cooperation among all partners working on PPH, by pursuing the required technical, investment and policy objectives that will deliver on the core priorities of ongoing global initiatives for maternal and newborn health.

This Roadmap is intended for leading actors in public health and all stakeholders working in the PPH ecosystem: the international community, funders, researchers, innovators and industry, professional associations and guideline developers, implementers (including 3 CSOs and NGOs), ministries of health, and also the general public – particularly women.