Infographic: The Saving Mothers, Giving Life Path to Safe Motherhood

The Path to Safe Motherhood graphic illustrates the recommended elements of the Saving Mothers, Giving Life initiative’s approach to preventing maternal and newborn deaths.   It shows a pregnant woman’s path to a safe birth; the path moves clockwise around the graphic with 4 stops along the way, ending in the center of the graphic after a safe birth.

The first stop on the path to safe motherhood is titled Woman and Family.  The pregnant woman is portrayed holding a document titled Birth Plan and is talked to an older woman.  The important elements to her health and safety at the Woman and Family stop are that she attend at least 4 antenatal care visits, that she make a birth plan and learn the pregnancy danger signs, and that she set aside funds for transport and care costs.

At the second stop, the pregnant woman is seen in a village among a group of women and men of all ages listening to a health care worker. This stop on the path is titled Community, and the important elements to her health and safety at the Community stop are to sensitize the community about safe delivery, for the community health workers to provide information on safe delivery and services and on pregnancy danger signs, and for community leaders to be involved in planning and in the activities.  Two additional elements at the Community level are financial programs to help save for delivery costs, and a subsidized voucher system for transportation and services.

The pregnant woman is seen traveling on the back of a motorcycle to the third stop on the path to safe motherhood, which is titled Health Facility.  This is represented by an illustration of a nurse with a cabinet of medical supplies, and by an illustration of the outside of a health facility with a maternity waiting home on one side and an emergency vehicle on the other. At the Facility stop, the important elements to the pregnant woman’s health and safety are that delivery services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, that there are sufficient essential medical supplies, equipment, and medication, and that that there are checklists for emergency triage and care.  Two additional important elements are having access to a vehicle for emergency referrals to higher level care, and, for higher level facilities to maintain a maternity waiting home.

The fourth stop on the path to safe motherhood is the Health System, portrayed by an illustration of a Ministry of Health Building. At the Health System stop, the important elements to the woman’s health and safety are to ensure that all health facilities have routine or emergency services available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, that all facilities have sufficient staff with continued training so that skills meet the needs, and that essential medical supplies, equipment, and medications are routinely available.  Two additional important elements are for facilities to have an effective referral and transport system for emergencies, and that facilities build or upgrade maternity waiting homes and emergency obstetric care facilities, where appropriate.

From the Health System stop, the path proceeds to the center of the illustration, where the healthy woman is portrayed holding her healthy newborn child, which is the desired endpoint for the Path to Safe Motherhood.