Increasing access to magnesium sulphate in Nigeria

The World Health Organization recommends magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) as the most effective, safe, and low-cost drug for treating pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. To increase access to and use of MgSO4 in Kano State, Nigeria the Population Council trained lower-cadre healthcare providers in antenatal clinics to detect pre-eclampsia early and institute timely and appropriate management by administering the loading dose of MgSO4 and referring for follow-up care. This brief reports that the intervention, which was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, reduced the maternal mortality rate due to PE/E by 40 percent in project sites. Moving forward, the Council will modify the intervention by also training providers at primary healthcare facilities to manage hypertension by using antihypertensive drugs and will include a community component to increase awareness of signs and symptoms and information that details where and when to seek treatment