Laerdal Global Health

23/05/2026

Every year on 23 May, the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula (IDEOF) is a global call to action to raise awareness and strengthen advocacy for the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula and other childbirth-related injuries.

Today, around 2 million women and girls in low-resource settings are living with obstetric fistula, with 50,000–100,000 new cases every year. In most cases, the baby does not survive, often the result of prolonged, obstructed labor without timely medical intervention.

The good news is that obstetric fistula is largely preventable through access to quality maternal healthcare, including:

✅ Skilled and well-trained birth attendants
✅ Emergency obstetric services
✅ Timely surgical interventions, including caesarean sections when necessary

Ending obstetric fistula requires stronger health systems, expanded access to trained midwives, and timely emergency obstetric care.

The Helping Mothers and Babies Survive (HMBS) programs were developed to equip healthcare workers with lifesaving skills, including the prevention and management of prolonged and obstructed labor. This course focuses on assessing, monitoring, and managing prolonged or obstructed labor and related complications such as abnormal fetal position, ineffective contractions, and shoulder dystocia.

Together, we can help prevent avoidable childbirth emergencies - helping save more lives.

Learn more hmbs.org
https://hmbs.org/training-program/pol/

Programs to equip healthcare workers with the expertise and confidence to provide life-saving care to mothers and newborns during childbirth

19/05/2026

This week in Oslo, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined Nordic leaders across government, healthcare, academia, and industry to strengthen collaboration on health systems and healthcare workforce development.

In a roundtable with Prime Minister Modi and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, emphasizing the importance of long-term partnerships, Laerdal Medical CEO Alf-Christian Dybdahl said:

“In India, we have been fortunate to work alongside partners across the healthcare system by supporting skills and simulation labs, strengthening educators, and contributing to national programs in maternal, newborn, and emergency care … The future of healthcare will not be determined by what we know, but by how well we prepare the lifesavers who must act in critical moments.”

During the visit, Laerdal Global Health’s Rashmi Aradhya also facilitated discussions highlighting simulation-based training, health innovations, and building more resilient healthcare systems.

Improving health outcomes depends not only on innovation, but on well-trained healthcare professionals who deliver care when it matters most.

18/05/2026

We’re very pleased to see the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) featured by Nigeria Health Watch, in a story highlighting how evidence-based maternal and newborn care interventions are improving outcomes in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, SBBC is implemented in partnership with Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) in Gombe State and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) in Borno State, together with state health authorities.

Healthcare workers are reporting lifesaving results.

"Before, when a baby is born and there is no pulse, we assume there is no sign of life. But now, when we place NeoBeat immediately on the baby’s chest after birth and detect a faint heartbeat, it encourages us to begin resuscitation. We have resuscitated many babies,” said Maimuna Bitrus Agyigra, Head of the Labor Room at Gwange PHC in Borno.

We know what works. The next step is scaling this proven solution to save more lives.

Read the full story: https://deepdive.nigeriahealthwatch.com/strada-luxe-digital-magazine-copy/

Strada Luxe - A Shorthand Digital Magazine template

15/05/2026

Heading to the World Health Assembly next week?

Join Laerdal Global Health in Geneva as we bring partners together to advance solutions improving global health outcomes.

We’re co-hosting and participating in a range of side events.

Swipe through to see where to connect with us and register your attendance.

🔗 https://laerdalglobalhealth.com/resources/events/2026/world-health-assembly/

15/05/2026

On International Kangaroo Mother Care Day, we’re shining a spotlight on new research highlighting the benefits of immediate skin-to-skin contact (iSSC) beyond survival alone.

Preterm birth remains a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality globally. Immediate Skin-to-Skin Contact (iSSC) has been shown to improve outcomes, yet despite WHO recommendations, it is still not standard practice in many settings.

A recent study published in BMJ Paediatrics Open by Karoline Lode-Kolz et al. supports current WHO guidelines advocating against unnecessary parental–infant separation and emphasizes immediate skin-to-skin contact as standard care in both high- and low-income settings.

Learn more: https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/10/1/e003778

14/05/2026

Nearly 60% of Nepal’s population can access basic healthcare – but access alone isn’t enough.

Quality care is often held back by shortages of skilled providers, limited training opportunities, and gaps between education and clinical practice.

In Nepal, Laerdal Global Health is working with government and partners to change that, through simulation-based, competency-focused training that helps healthcare workers deliver better care.

Together, we’ve supported programs that have trained more than 6,600 healthcare workers and reached 230,000 lives.

This progress is driven by strong partnerships and our dedicated local team, including Unisha Shrestha, Suchana Thapa, and Baidehi Upadhyaya.

👉 Read how collaboration is strengthening healthcare quality across Nepal, on our newly published Nepal page.

🔗 https://laerdalglobalhealth.com/about-us/focus-countries/nepal/

12/05/2026

On International Nurses Day, we want to celebrate the essential role of nurses in improving health outcomes and delivering quality care.

When nurses are empowered with the right skills, equipped with the right tools, and provided the right support, they can tackle some of the world’s biggest health challenges.

At Laerdal Global Health, we’re proud to support nurses through partnership projects, including:

➜ Transforming nursing education in Nigeria: Working to support hands-on competency-based education, with simulation as a core learning tool.

➜ Expanding access to Basic Emergency Care training in Nepal: Providing Emergency Care Learning Lab kits to a national training center, supporting nurses and other healthcare providers.

➜ Building confidence and teamwork among 500+ nurses in Rwanda, using simulation-based scenario training on 30+ MamaBirthie CS simulators through the Buy One, Gift One program.

➜ In partnership with the WHO Foundation, scaling up the Basic Emergency Care program for nurses, midwives, doctors, and frontline providers across several African countries.

We remain committed to our mission of helping save lives by helping train and equip those who save lives every day, like nurses. Thank you.

08/05/2026

Like many places disrupted by conflict, the Limbe District of Cameroon has experienced a shortage of skilled health workers.

In some rural areas, maternal mortality rates are estimated to be as high as 25%. That means 1 in 4 women die around the time of birth. Infant mortality also remains high, at around 50 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The With Women Project is supporting local partners across South West Cameroon and the Limbe Health District to help reduce maternal and infant mortality and improve health outcomes for women, babies, and families. One of the ways they’re doing this is with better access to high-quality training tools, like LIFT.

LIFT Assessments provides automatic scoring and real-time feedback. Facilitators can assess baseline knowledge, monitor progress, make data-driven decisions during sessions, and generate reports. The tool supports standard programs and can be customized for specific training needs.

07/05/2026

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Teri Reynolds from the World Health Organization at Laerdal HQ share her insights on strengthening acute care systems and scaling Basic Emergency Care (BEC) globally.

Dr. Reynolds presented the evidence of impact resulting from improving emergency care in low- and middle-income countries. The focus is now shifting from evidence to scale. Despite proven impact across 100+ countries, key barriers first needed to be addressed: training logistics, integration into daily practice, time away from clinical work, and system-level infrastructure for learning and data.

To overcome these barriers, a simplified, scalable hybrid BEC model was developed, combining online learning with hands-on skills training supported by low-dose, high-frequency training in the workplace.

“Well-trained individuals become well-functioning teams which, in turn, become strong health systems.”

The program is currently rolling out in 4 countries and nearly 850 facilities in partnership with governments and WHO country offices, with a clear move toward sustainable national ownership.

Dr. Reynold’s core message was simple: when training is practical, integrated, and designed for real clinical environments, it becomes scalable and lives are saved.

Simplicity = scalability.

Thank you to Dr. Reynolds, and we look forward to sharing updates and stories from this lifesaving program.

06/05/2026

Yesterday marked International Day of the Midwife, a celebration of the lifesaving impact of midwives around the world.

To mark the occasion, we’re proud to share a new Partner Q&A with International Confederation of Midwives Chief Midwife, Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent.

Her message is clear: The world needs one million more midwives. Investing in a well-educated, empowered midwifery workforce is one of the most effective ways to reduce maternal and newborn deaths, strengthen health systems, and ensure quality care for every woman and newborn.

👉 Join the call to action for and read the Q&A here:
https://laerdalglobalhealth.com/resources/news/qa-icm-jacqueline-dunkley-bent/

05/05/2026

Well‑trained midwives save lives and the world needs more of them.

This International Day of the Midwife, we stand with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and the global call for .

Around the world, too many women and newborns still miss out on quality care at the moment it matters most. Investing in well‑trained, supported midwives is one of the most powerful ways to change that, strengthening health systems, improving quality of care and saving lives at birth.

At Laerdal Global Health, midwives are central to our work. Today, we proudly recognize the midwives on our team - Patricia Titulaer, Alemnesh Reta, Hilde Cortier, Ivony Kamala and Dorice Twende - and the millions of midwives worldwide working every day to make birth safer.

Because when midwives are empowered, care improves and lives are saved.

Agree? Then reshare with your community. 💚

➡️ Learn more about the One Million More Midwives campaign: https://millionmore.org/