Together We Can campaign to reduce maternal and newborn deaths launched

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has joined forces with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the International Pediatric Association (IPA) to launch the Together We Can campaign to reduce maternal and newborn deaths.

A new joint report by the organisations has revealed that 75 per cent of all maternal, newborn and child deaths occur in just 20 countries and that these deaths are largely preventable.

According to the report, focusing on nine key causes of deaths in these countries could result in up to 50 per cent of lives being saved by 2035.

The report found that the nine main causes of maternal, newborn and child deaths are hemorrhage, hypertension, maternal sepsis, prematurity, asphyxia, neonatal sepsis, childhood pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria.
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FIGO said that simple interventions such as rotavirus and hib vaccinations, kangaroo care and active management of third stage labour (AMTSL) could prevent these health issues causing death.

Professor Chittaranjan Narahari Purandare, FIGO president, said: “FIGO is delighted to launch the Together We Can campaign with our colleagues in ICM, ICN and IPA.”

He went on to add: “It is critical that we provide much needed antenatal care during pregnancy, deliver them safely with healthy newborns, look after their wellbeing during the postnatal period and give the children healthier childhoods.”
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FIGO, ICM, ICN and IPA announced that they have partnered to launch the Together We Can campaign to advocate for safer pregnancy, better birth and healthier childhoods and to ensure that the healthcare practitioners who care for mothers, newborns and children are at the centre of health policy decisions.

ICN chief executive Dr Frances Hughes explained: “The Together We Can campaign demonstrates the critical role of the health workforce in reducing maternal, newborn and child deaths. As nurses, we know that it is only by working together effectively that we can promote the interventions which work best to protect these vulnerable populations.”