Women's health in women's hands : a pilot study assessing the feasibility of providing women with medications to reduce postpartum hemorrhage and sepsis in rural Tanzania

The pilot study established feasibility of distributing oral medications (such as misoprostol in pill form) to women in rural Tanzania to self-administer after delivery. Two of the largest causes of maternal mortality are bleeding and infection. Of the 642 women provided with medications, 90% took them appropriately, while the remaining 10% did not require them. Mara Region has one of the highest non-facility birth rates in Tanzania, with more than 60% of women delivering in their villages. Hundreds of thousands of women could be saved through access to this inexpensive medication. In Tanzania the maternal mortality ratio is 454 per 100,000 (2011).Grand Challenges Canad