In a bid to end preventable maternal deaths, a swiss pharmaceutical company launched an initiative at an event organised at the Swiss embassy on September 13.

The initiative  "For Every Mother in India" aims to mobilise a wide set of stakeholders across the country, including policymakers, government agencies, development partners, academia, medical experts and civil society, in a collective push to end preventable maternal deaths.

It also aims to protect the lives of two crore women and their families globally by 2030 through sustainable access to room temperature stable (RTS) carbetocin, a treatment used to prevent excessive bleeding after childbirth or post-partum haemorrhage (PPH), a leading cause of maternal deaths.

Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, 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 this."

The president of the company said seven Indian states have reduced their maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to less than 70 per one lakh births and 11 states have an MMR of less than 100 per one lakh births.

"It is disheartening to see that every hour, four women die giving birth. Here, 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," he said.

Countess of frederiksborg of Denmark and a board member said every woman going through childbirth should have access to quality care and treatment. "I am confident that India can achieve the UN 2030 maternal mortality ratio goals if we continue to collaborate and unite for every mother in India," she said.

According to the Registrar General of India report, the MMR of the country has declined by 10 points, from 113 in 2016-18 to 103 in 2017-19.