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Oct 19, 2009

VSI presents scientific findings at FIGO World Congress in South Africa

Venture Strategies Innovations’ (VSI) medical and program experts presented scientific findings to the largest global gathering of obstetricians and gynecologists as a part of the 19th World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Cape Town, South Africa October 4-9, 2009.

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) holds this conference every three years which historically garners attendance of over 6,000 delegates from around the world.  The 2009 conference was the first ever hosted by an African nation, meaning more African doctors attended than ever before.  The geographic location also merited a focus on maternal and reproductive health issues in sub-Saharan Africa given the region’s high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity.  VSI presented its maternal health work in two scientific panels.

In a scientific session entitled Contraception: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going? VSI Medical Director Dr. Ndola Prata presented findings demonstrating that community-level health workers in rural Tigray, Ethiopia can safely and effectively dispense injectable contraceptives to women.  The project showed that these frontline health workers are important in increasing access to a modern form of contraception in a country with some of the highest unmet need for family planning globally.  The project is a collaboration of VSI, Venture Strategies for Health and Development (VSHD), the Tigray Regional Health Bureau and the Bixby Center for Population, Health and Sustainability at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Prata’s presentation, “Community Based Distribution of Contraceptives and Access for ‘Hard to Reach’ Populations,” was part of a preformed panel of experts, including Drs. Paul Blumenthal, Ian Fraser and Phillip Darney.  The panelists concluded the session citing the recently published statement by the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsing community-based distribution of injectable contraceptives.  Dr. Prata’s research in Ethiopia factored into the WHO’s policy recommendation.

VSI’s Misoprostol Program Officer, Martine Holston, presented in a session on Health Care Policy about women’s willingness to pay for misoprostol for prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in Kigoma, Tanzania.  The study, which drew much interest from the audience, found that 86% of women surveyed were willing to pay for misoprostol for treatment of PPH, challenging the notion that rural, often poor women are not willing or able to make a financial sacrifice for healthcare. Policy recommendations included expanding community-level education about the life-saving drug (as this contributes to willingness to pay) and encouraging governments to subsidize the cost to ensure sustainable access for expectant mothers.  The study is based on research completed in Kigoma in concert with Dr. Prata, the Bixby Center and the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. 

In addition to participation in the FIGO conference, VSI sponsored a workshop for its international team of maternal health experts, many of whom are based in Africa.  With partner VSHD, VSI held an open house to share highlights of its work creating access to misoprostol for management of PPH and treatment of incomplete abortion in Africa and Asia and present new programs on the horizon.  The open house drew more than 50 partners and supporters of the two organizations’ work.