Postpartum hemorrhage can happen to any woman during any delivery, but 99 percent of the resulting deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
The question isn’t how to treat postpartum hemorrhage—effective treatments have existed for years. The question is how do we make those treatments, affordable, accessible, and appropriate for any setting?
PATH researchers spent 9 years refining and advancing designs for an affordable uterine balloon tamponade or “UBT”—a simple balloon-like device that can be inserted in the uterus and inflated to stop excessive bleeding after childbirth. These devices are not new, but available models can cost more than US$100 dollars a piece.
Today, the PATH-designed UBT is now available to health systems for just US$7 dollars a piece and is projected to save 169,000 lives by 2030. When you invest in PATH, you’re investing in affordable, appropriate, health innovations that fill gaps in access and save people’s lives.
A midwife conducts general health checks for expectant mothers at Mpigi Health Centre IV’s maternity clinic in Mpigi Town, Uganda. Photo: PATH/Will Boase.
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