Galadanci proffers solution to maternal deaths at 78th UNGA 

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hadiza Galadanci, has attracted global attention with the scientific research findings proffered to check needless mortalities among mothers and newborns globally.

The Kano-born medic, who shared her innovation on the treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) at the 2023 Goalkeepers event at the ongoing 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, expressed concern over the rising death rate at conception.

PPH refers to excessive bleeding and loss of blood after childbirth. It means losing more than half a litre of blood within 24 hours of giving birth.

Although Galadanci, who is the first female professor of gynaecology in northern Nigeria, submitted that 14 million women experience PPH yearly, with approximately 70,000 dying from it globally, she is disturbed that the most populous black nation bears the highest burden.

The innovations, tagged Calibrated Obstetric Drape, are used in E-MOTIVE study to detect excessive blood loss and a 15-minute IV iron infusion to treat severe anaemia in pregnant women.

Galadanci pointed out that the potential to save two million lives from material and child mortality globally by 2030.

In her five minutes, 41 seconds presentation to the global audience at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Pavilion, a sideline event, the Nigerian narrated why she had chosen the path of medical research and development innovation that checks the rate of mortality during birth.

Her words: “I could save one or two lives at a time as an obstetrician, while I could save 100,000 lives by becoming a medical researcher. So, I decided to focus my research on areas that affect the lives of women, such as PPH.

“PPH is the number one cause of maternal deaths, not just in Nigeria, but all over the world. Fourteen million women experience this every year, and approximately 70,000 die from it.

“In a study we call the E-MOTIVE, I discovered that half of the women who have PPH are never even diagnosed. That’s because health care workers are busy and struggle with blood loss.”

According to her, a simple drape at the edge of the bed could see a fast and accurate measurement of collected blood.

She noted that in a busy labour ward, this could be the difference between life and death.