Swiss Pharmaceutical Company Launches an Initiative in India to Reduce Maternal Mortality

By: WE Staff | Wednesday, 14 September 2022

In an effort to eradicate avoidable maternal deaths, at a gathering held at the Swiss embassy, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India launched an initiative.

In order to put an end to unnecessary maternal mortality, the programme "For Every Mother in India" seeks to mobilise a wide range of stakeholders across the nation, including policymakers, government agencies, development partners, academics, medical specialists, and civil society.

By 2030, it also hopes to prevent post-partum haemorrhage (PPH), the main cause of maternal deaths, by providing two crore women and their families with sustainable access to room-temperature stable (RTS) carbetocin, a medication used to treat excessive post-partum bleeding.

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."

Seven Indian states have lowered their maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to fewer than 70 per one lakh births, while 11 states have an MMR of less than 100 per one lakh births, according to Per Falk, president of Ferring Pharmaceuticals.

"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.

Every woman giving birth should have access to high-quality care and treatment, according to Alexandra, the Countess of Frederiksborg of Denmark and a member of the Ferring board.

If we keep working together and standing up for every mother in India, I am convinced that India can meet the UN 2030 Maternal Mortality Ratio targets.

The MMR for India has decreased by 10 points, from 113 in 2016–18 to 103 in 2017–19, according to the Registrar General of India report.