India News | Swiss Pharmaceutical Company Launches Initiative to Prevent Maternal Deaths in India
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. In a bid to end preventable maternal deaths, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India launched an initiative at an event organised at the Swiss embassy here on Tuesday.
New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) In a bid to end preventable maternal deaths, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India launched an initiative at an event organised at the Swiss embassy here on Tuesday.
The initiative -- "For Every Mother in India" -- aims to mobilise a wide set of stakeholders across the country, including policy makers, government agencies, development partners, academia, medical experts and civil society, in a collective push to end preventable maternal deaths.
It also aims to protect the lives of two crore women and their families globally by 2030 through sustainable access to room temperature stable (RTS) carbetocin -- a treatment used to prevent excessive bleeding after childbirth -- or post-partum haemorrhage (PPH), a leading cause of maternal deaths.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, Olivier Fink, said, "Sustainable healthcare is a strategic objective of Switzerland's Foreign Health Policy. My country is committed to sustainable national health systems and better healthcare worldwide. We are pleased to support in India the maternal health initiative of a Swiss company like Ferring."
President of Ferring Pharmaceuticals Per Falk said seven Indian states have reduced their maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to less than 70 per one lakh births and 11 states have an MMR of less than 100 per one lakh births.
"It is disheartening to see that every hour, four women die giving birth. At Ferring, we are working with partners to enable every state in India to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 and prevent these often avoidable deaths," Falk said.
Countess of Frederiksborg of Denmark and a board member of Ferring, Alexandra, said every woman going through childbirth should have access to quality care and treatment.
"I am confident that India can achieve the UN 2030 Maternal Mortality Ratio goals if we continue to collaborate and unite for every mother in India," she said.
According to the Registrar General of India report, the MMR of the country has declined by 10 points, from 113 in 2016-18 to 103 in 2017-19.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)