Maternal Health

By: Alison Chatfield, Project Manager, Maternal Health Task Force, Women and Health Initiative Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for adolescents in much of the developing world, leading us to ask the question:…

  This post is part of a blog series on maternal health, HIV, and AIDS. To view the entire series, click here. Today marked the first day of Maternal health, HIV, and AIDS: Examining research through a programmatic lens, a technical…

By: Ann Starrs, President and Co-Founder, Family Care International; France Donnay, Senior Program Officer, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Gary L. Darmstadt, Director of Family Health, Bill & Melinda Gates…

By: Sarah Blake, MHTF consultant Yesterday, the United Nations High Level Panel of Eminent Persons (HLP) released A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty And Transform Economies Through Sustainable Development, a report which sets out a “roadmap” for…

By: Sarah Blake, MHTF consultant The Lancet has published a new series on health transitions in Pakistan with a focus on four priority issues for Pakistan’s health system: First, the country’s performance and future after the 18th amendment to…

By: Sarah Blake, MHTF consultant The 66th World Health Assembly convened today, May 20 with addresses and discussions focused on the post-2015 global development agenda. The Assembly runs through May 28, and will feature numerous discussions and…

Guest post by Fistula Care.  With just 1 midwife for every 1000 live births, Sierra Leone needs a twelve-fold increase in its midwifery workforce to ensure full coverage of maternal and newborn health services.  It is tempting to focus…

By: Kate Mitchell, Manager of the MHTF Knowledge Management System, Women and Health Initiative On May 12th, NPR ran a story, C-Sections Deliver Cachet For Wealthy Brazilian Women, that explores the extraordinary numbers of Cesarean deliveries occurring…

By: Sarah Blake, MHTF consultant PBS is in the midst of publishing a ten-part blog series exploring the connections between between mobile technology and health in Africa. In its latest post, the series highlights the Mobile Alliance for Maternal…

By: Sarah Blake, MHTF consultant This year, as the family health team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation undertakes its annual strategy review, its members are contributing to the Family Health Check Up blog series. In…