In Pakistan, one mother dies every two hours due to pregnancy-related complications—a devastating yet preventable reality.
Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), a significant cause of maternal death, poses a serious threat to women in Pakistan.
The condition, defined as blood loss greater than 500 mL within 24 hours after childbirth, necessitates urgent intervention to prevent severe complications and death.
While Pakistan’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has decreased to 186 per 100,000 live births, PPH remains a leading contributor to maternal mortality.
Though often sudden, PPH is not inevitable.
A critical and under-addressed factor is maternal anemia, which significantly increases the risk of PPH.
The medical evidence is strong: a 10 g/L reduction in hemoglobin raises the risk of hemorrhage by 23%.
In anemic pregnant women, stillbirth rates can climb as high as 30%.
These aren’t just numbers—they represent painful journeys, avoidable deaths and families left in grief.
What makes this even more concerning is that anemia begins long before pregnancy.
According to Pakistan’s National Nutrition Survey, 55% of adolescent girls and 44% of women of childbearing age are anemic.
A strong nutritional foundation, along with education and access to healthcare, prepares young women for healthier pregnancies and greatly reduces the risk of complications.
A major contributor to maternal mortality is the “first delay”—the time between a complication and the decision to seek medical care.
This delay can mean the difference between life and death.
It can be prevented through community education, empowering midwives and nurses and ensuring that every facility is equipped with essential maternal health tools.
The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Labour Care Guides offer a practical and evidence-based framework for improving childbirth outcomes.
Equally important is the availability of blood banks and emergency transport services—ensuring no mother dies waiting for help and no baby is denied care in its golden first hour.
Countries like Sri Lanka have made remarkable progress by investing in girls’ education, health services and social empowerment.
Their success shows what is possible with the right political will and systemic focus.
Globally, WHO has prioritized maternal mortality reduction through 2025, with a key Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of reducing the maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
To meet this target, Pakistan must accelerate efforts eleven-fold every year—an urgent but achievable goal with the right strategies in place.
Two low-cost, high-impact innovations from WHO are already making a difference.
The first is the use of special drapes to measure blood loss accurately, allowing for faster detection of PPH.
The second is the non-pneumatic anti-shock garment, a simple tool that stabilizes mothers during hemorrhage and buys time until they reach care.
Above all, we must shift how we think about pregnancy.
A pregnant woman is not sick—she is healthy, hopeful and full of potential.
—The is a Public Health Specialist working on maternal and reproductive health in Pakistan and globally.
