When Zaitoon Ragman went into labour in Cape Town, everything seemed routine. But moments after her daughter was born, she began to bleed heavily. “I thought I was going home to God now,” she recalls. “I called my son to say goodbye.” Her life was saved by a rapid, coordinated response from a team of doctors and midwives. They quickly diagnosed postpartum haemorrhage and implemented all the recommended treatment interventions that stopped the bleeding. Unlike her previous childbirth, when she required a blood transfusion, this time she recovered safely and went home with her baby. Zaitoon Ragman with her baby Naa-iqah (6 days old) and older children Raeez, Naa-ilah, and Raheez at their home in Mitchell's Plain, South Africa. Zaitoon Ragman with her baby Naa-iqah (6 days old) and older children Raeez, Naa-ilah, and Raheez at their home in Mitchell's Plain, South Africa. Zaitoon survived PPH after childbirth. Photo Credit: K Schermbrucker / WHO
Health South AfricaLifesaving Rules to Protect Postpartum Mamas
South Africa has begun applying new international guidelines that require action at just 300 mL of blood loss, enabling earlier treatment of postpartum haemorrhage and helping save lives like that of Cape Town mother Zaitoon Ragman.
“Sometimes you only have minutes to act, and it requires the whole team working together to save a life,” said Dr Alexandra St Clair, obstetrics medical officer.
The updated recommendations unify prevention, detection, and treatment measures, including calibrated drapes, iron supplements for anaemia, and a standardised PPH bundle of uterine massage, oxytocics, tranexamic acid, and IV fluids. Postpartum haemorrhage affects several million women every year. It causes around 45,000 deaths worldwide, making these guidelines a critical tool for governments and health workers seeking to prevent one of the leading causes of maternal mortality.
