7 Inventions Will Save 2 Million Moms and Babies by 2030, According to Bill Gates

Summary

Bill Gates advocates for seven inventions to significantly reduce maternal and child mortality by 2030, as outlined in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Goalkeepers Report.

Abstract

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's seventh annual Goalkeepers Report emphasizes the potential of seven key inventions to save over 2 million lives of mothers and newborns. These innovations include interventions for postpartum hemorrhage, iron infusion for anemia, multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS), probiotics, antenatal corticosteroids (ACS), infection reduction with Azithromycin, and AI-enabled portable ultrasounds. The report, which aligns with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, suggests that these measures could drastically improve maternal and child health outcomes. While acknowledging Bill Gates' influence in sustainability and reproductive health, the article also cautions that his recommendations should be approached with care, given that he is not a medical professional.

Opinions

Bill Gates is recognized as a highly influential figure in sustainability and reproductive health, despite being a polarizing personality.
The Gates Foundation's report is seen

Whether we asked for his opinions or not, Bill Gates is highly influential in the sustainability/reproductive sector

Although he’s one of the most polarizing figures of our age, Bill Gates has been highly vocal about his chosen causes for quite some time. Indeed, although he technically works in the technology sector, he has taken on many causes regarding reproduction, vaccines, sustainability, and more.

Therefore, in an effort to shine a spotlight on the matter of maternal and child mortality, Bill and Melinda Gates are urging the UN to boldly press forward in terms of its Sustainable Development Goals.

They assert that developing and making seven inventions accessible will save the lives of two million mothers and babies.

The Goalkeepers Report

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation released its seventh annual Goalkeepers Report this year. The report asserts that the following inventions are essential to help save the lives of over 2 million mothers and newborns.

They are as follows:

Postpartum hemorrhage reduction: Since the number one cause of maternal death is the number one cause of maternal health, the Gates Foundation believes that focusing on creating a bundle of interventions can reduce postpartum hemorrhage and thus lower maternal death rates.

Replenishing iron reserves: Due to postpartum hemorrhaging, anemia affects almost 37% of new moms. Therefore, The Gates Foundation recommends administering a new one-time infusion of IV iron for women that replenishes iron reserves during pregnancy and protects against/treats anemia.

Multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS): These supplements may help boost survival rates for babies by ensuring mom and baby have sufficient nutrients and nutrient stores.

Probiotics: The Gates Foundation also recommends Bifidobacteria (B. Infantis), a new probiotic supplement that is said to combat malnutrition when given to infants with breast milk.

Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS): The Gates Foundation recommends these steroids for women who prematurely give birth. This treatment provides several weeks of maturation in just a few days and helps to accelerate fetal lung growth.

Infection reduction: The Gates Foundation recommends Azithromycin, which helps reduce maternal infections during pregnancy and can prevent infections from becoming sepsis, a top cause of maternal deaths in the United States.

AI portable ultrasounds: Lastly, the Gates Foundation is advocating for AI-enabled portable ultrasounds. These will enable midwives to monitor high-risk pregnancies for those with minimal resources.

Although these suggestions may make a major difference in terms of infant and maternal mortality rates, I hope the powers that be proceed with caution. In the end, Bill Gates is not a doctor, and making the wrong decisions during such dire times could prove to be downright catastrophic to moms, babies, and society overall.

The bottom line

No matter how the general public may feel about Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation, it’s clear that the powers that be take his societal suggestions with special consideration. At first glance, it seems that these intentions may have a positive impact on child and maternal death rates. For more information about this topic, read the report here.

BEFORE YOU GO: I have new body-positive merch for sale! It’s my first batch, and I will most likely be adding new designs/products over time. The messages may not resonate with you, but I would appreciate your support if they do! Grab a tee or two here!

New to Medium? Follow me, and don’t forget to subscribe to my email list! It’s also free! As always, all tips, donations, shares, hand claps, comments, follows, and subscriptions are greatly appreciated!