A list to save the lives of mothers and children.

摘要

Millions of women and children die in developing countries each year because the public health facilities that they attend do not have the drugs available to save their lives. Most of these drugs are affordable, and should be accessible, but are often not because of depressingly simple reasons: they have not been ordered or have not been ordered in sufficient quantities. Last week, WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA launched the first ever priority medicines list for mothers and children to help address this issue. The list contains 30 essential medicines for the treatment of common illnesses and complications affecting mothers and children, such as oxytocin for post-partum haemorrhage and amoxicillin for childhood pneumonia-both major killers of new mothers and children.