A lot of Nigerian mothers who go to give birth abroad often talk about the stream of nurses and doctors that are often in the delivery room when they are about to give birth.

This is in stark contrast to how labour and delivery occurs in Nigeria. In many hospitals or health centers around Nigeria, the availability of medicines and skilled health workers are not assured.

Therefore, there are no guarantees of a mother or a newborn’s safety. In fact, many women deliver their children completely alone, relying only on traditional practices of newborn care.

According to the Huffington Post, this common practice leaves women defenseless against birth complications and trauma and many die from severe blood loss.

This is why, Nigeria ranks second highest in the world for rates of maternal deaths–14% of the global total. In Nigeria, 241,000 newborns of the 5.9 million born die each year–that is 700 per day and 30 each hour–according to the Nigeria Population Commission and the 2008 Nigerian Health and Demographic survey.

The high death rate among newborns is partially the result of a traditional practice of umbilical cord care. For hundreds of years, charcoal, cow dung, or mustard seed oil has been spread on newborns’ umbilical cord stumps after birth, causing rather than preventing infections, the Huffington Post reveals.

With support from donors such as USAID, US company JSI is pioneering a two-drug initiative that uses low-tech and high-impact methods to protect both mother and newborn during and after birth.

The first drug, misoprostol, is for the mother to take immediately after delivery. Just three orally ingested pills can help prevent postpartum hemorrhage, a leading cause of maternal mortality around the world.

A second medicine, chlorhexidine, is an easy-to-use antiseptic to replace traditional umbilical cord care. The gel is spread on the infant’s cord stump within an hour after birth, sealing the wound, preventing bacteria from latching on the cord, and allowing it to heal.

When used together, misoprostol and chlorhexidine have the potential to dramatically lower the newborn and maternal mortality rates for women who deliver alone.

According to the Huffington Post, two of Nigeria’s 36 states, Sokoto and Bauchi, have officially adopted the widespread use of the two medicines, and others are taking notice.

Four states have set aside funds and plan to launch distribution projects in the near future, and three states have submitted proposals to implement the initiative.

It is critical that women, health care providers, and their communities are informed that there are low-cost ways to save mothers and newborns even if women do deliver alone.

So share this article and spread the word, that these two drugs chlorhexidine and misoprostol promise families better futures and Nigeria better opportunities.