ACEPHAP partners with icddr,b to Advance Early Detection of Postpartum Haemorrhage in Nigeria
The Africa Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), Bayero University Kano, is collaborating with International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) - a global health research institute based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, that works to solve key public health challenges like malnutrition, infectious diseases, and maternal and child health - to adapt and implement the Q-Mat, an innovative low-cost tool designed to support earlier recognition of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in home birth, in north-western Nigeria.
ACEPHAP was represented at the session by Prof. Ayuba Rabiu, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, and Dr Aminu Ado Wakili, a Research Fellow and Programme Manager at ACEPHAP, Bayero University Kano.
PPH remains one of the leading yet preventable causes of maternal mortality, particularly in low-resource settings and settings with high burden of home deliveries. While the E-MOTIVE innovation with the use of calibrated drape is addressing the issue of PPH in facility delivery, addressing this challenge in home deliveries requires practical innovations that enable community health workers and lay people to recognise excessive blood loss early and initiate timely transport to a facility.
As part of efforts to strengthen maternal health services and extend life-saving intervention to women with no access to health facilities or who choose to deliver at home, ACEPHAP, Bayero University Kano, is collaborating with icddr,b, to support the adaptation and implementation of the icddr,b Q-Mat in selected community settings with high burden of home birth in north-western Nigeria, as part of the community bundle innovation project (ComBIP), aimed to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in home deliveries.
Developed in Bangladesh in 2006 under the leadership of Dr Mohammad Abdul Quaiyum of icddr,b, the Q-Mat is a simple, low-cost and biodegradable birthing mat designed to assist in recognising potentially excessive bleeding following childbirth. When fully soaked, the mat holds approximately 450 mL of blood, providing a clear visual warning that can prompt further assessment, urgent clinical attention or referral, particularly in settings where sophisticated blood-loss monitoring equipment may not be readily available.
The initiative, titled “Integrating icddr,b Q-Mat in Maternal Health Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Learning from the Demonstration in Selected Public Health Settings,” is being implemented under the Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights by icddr,b.
As part of preparations to pilot test the use of Q-mat in home deliveries and potential implementation, a technical training and knowledge-exchange session was held between 31 August to 3 September 2026 at icddr,b, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The technical engagement provided an opportunity to review the development of the Q-Mat, available evidence and implementation experience from Bangladesh, its potential adaptation to the Nigerian health-system context, particularly in home deliveries and opportunities for broader collaboration in maternal health. The session also contributed to preparations for demonstrating the innovation in selected communities and generating implementation learning that could inform its integration into routine maternal-health practices and standard operating procedures.
The partnership represents an important step in translating an evidence-informed innovation developed in Bangladesh into a context-appropriate maternal-health intervention for Nigeria. Beyond introducing the Q-Mat, the collaboration will generate practical lessons on its feasibility, acceptability, local production and integration within existing maternal-health services.
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