Nigeria leads world in maternal deaths from postpartum haemorrhage
A new research has revealed that Nigeria accounts for the highest number of global maternal deaths from postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), a largely preventable complication affecting millions of women each year.
The findings were presented at the inauguration of the Accelerating the Implementation of Maternal, Newborn, Child Nutrition and Health Innovations (AIM-MNCH) Regional Think Tank in Abuja on Wednesday, 29 October 2025.
The Think Tank will serve as a high-level advisory and technical body to promote evidence-based interventions and strengthen policy implementation for maternal and child health across Africa.
During her keynote address on “Accelerating the Scale-up of PPH Prevention and Management in the Nigerian Context,” Professor and obstetrician Hadiza Galadanchi presented data from the E-MOTIVE Trial.
She revealed that around 14 million women globally experience PPH annually, with the majority of deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria alone contributes the largest share.
“PPH occurs in every region, but survival differs due to health system weaknesses, including slow emergency response, shortages of essential medicines, and lack of readiness at the facility level,” Professor Galadanchi said.
She noted that maternal mortality remains high, with about 260,000 women dying in 2023. Nigeria accounted for nearly 75,000 of these deaths.
Citing a global study released earlier this year, she said haemorrhage has remained the leading cause of maternal death for over 50 years, followed by hypertensive disorders, sepsis, anaemia, and obstructed labour.
“Those causes have not changed for half a century. Fifty years later, we still have the same five killers of women during childbirth,” she noted.
Professor Galadanchi highlighted the E-MOTIVE project, a global trial focused on preventing and managing PPH, as a model for translating evidence into policy and practice.
“Many health innovations are piloted in Africa, but few are implemented widely enough to make an impact. E-MOTIVE showed that when we act early, and when bleeding is measured objectively rather than guessed, women survive,” she indicated.
Following the trial’s success, Nigeria was among the first countries to incorporate the E-MOTIVE approach into its national guidelines for obstetric care.
The approach uses the WHO ‘first-response bundle’, which includes uterine massage, oxytocin, tranexamic acid, intravenous fluids, and rapid escalation. Severe bleeding cases were reduced by more than 60 per cent compared with standard care.
Professor Galadanchi added that the findings informed WHO recommendations and Nigeria’s national guideline on PPH, now standardising treatment across all levels of care. Over 75 master trainers and more than 800 healthcare workers have been trained nationwide to support early detection and treatment.
“For the first time, all partners including government, WHO, and civil society are coordinated. That is how we make real change,” she stressed.
