PRB

Around the world, a woman dies every two minutes from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Giving birth without the assistance of a skilled provider significantly increases these chances. Linda Mama, a new publicly funded health scheme in Kenya, is turning the tide. It provides basic health services to pregnant women and infants for free, saving the lives of women and children across the nation. In Port Reitz subcounty alone, maternal deaths fell by 64% and newborn deaths fell by 87% within two years of Linda Mama’s introduction. Watch this short film to learn more about why policy matters for Kenyans.

Less than 5% of Nigerians have health insurance and more than half of Nigerians live on less than two dollars a day. These realities, combined with high out-of-pocket health expenses, mean that women, children, and their families are unable to access quality health care. The result? Nigeria has some of the worst rates of maternal and child mortality. Under new reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s primary health system and providing financial protections, this situation is starting to change. Primary health care centers around the country are improving their quality of care. They are beginning to see their electricity restored, more medical supplies stocked, and more patients arriving for services. If implementation is accelerated, these reforms could lead to dramatic drops in child and mortality rates. Watch this short film to learn more about why policy matters for Nigerians.