A substantial proportion of medicines for maternal health care are substandard quality, including those used to manage postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), the leading cause of maternal death. In many countries, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, healthcare providers cannot trust the effectiveness of medicines they depend on.
Join Senator Oral Ataniyazova of Uzbekistan and member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Committee on Health, and Professor Tari Turner, Chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) of the UN’s Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP), as they discuss actions parliamentarians can take to improve access to quality-assured medicines that can save the lives of pregnant women and their newborn babies.
Professor Tari Turner (T.T.): As a researcher passionate about evidence-based policymaking for women and children, I see quality of medicines as vital to realizing the right to health, but also to ensuring trust in health systems. I know that policymakers are also facing all kinds of other challenges, so I’m intrigued, among the important health issues the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) focus on: Why do you think it is important to prioritize quality-assured medicines for maternal health?
Senator Oral Ataniyazova (O.A): For the past 20 years, the IPU has led the way in getting parliaments involved in health. It focuses on making sure everyone has better access to health services and to make health outcomes fairer for all.
Women dying during childbirth due to lack of access to quality-assured, safe and effective medicines is a deep injustice and one we can fix. It’s often the poorest women who suffer most, and that is unacceptable.
Maternal death rates are stagnating in many places, and stronger laws and regulation can make a real difference. Parliaments have the power to break this cycle – ensuring quality-assured medicines is not just about saving lives, it is about driving progress across health, equity, and development.
Health is a political choice, and strong parliaments and strong democracies are key. They help build equity, participation, accountability and transparency, in health and beyond.
T.T.: How has your experience as a physician informed how you approach your role bridging science and policy?
O.A.: Firstly, by recognizing that pregnancy and childbirth are physiological processes, not a disease. There are many inter-connected factors which contribute to health, including the socio-economic status of the family, the availability of quality medical services, public awareness on the possibilities of safe motherhood, a critical analysis of each case of maternal or infant mortality, a regular monitoring of the entire system for providing effective maternal and child services.
All these rest on the relevant legislative and regulatory frameworks of each country and the use of WHO standards.
Scientific experience, as a research process of searching for an evidence base, is the most important connecting link. Without critical and reliable analyses, it is impossible to correctly assess risks – in the healthcare system or in any other sector. Any error in interpreting data leads to erroneous conclusions, erroneous decisions, and ultimately to the misuse of the budget and the adoption of ineffective programs, increasing the risk for public health.
I highly appreciate the role of the IPU Committee on Health, since it provides, among others, the possibility of promoting parliamentary strategies for safe motherhood at the global level.
T.T.: As you know, there are huge challenges to ensuring quality-assured medicines across countries and regions; limited data, low awareness, inconsistent regulation, and infrastructure gaps, to name a few. A new resolution which passed at the 59th session of the Human Rights Council urges multi-sectoral action. In your view, what are the most impactful things parliamentarians can do to address these issues?
O.A.: Parliamentarians can change the narrative: framing access to quality-assured medicines not just as a technical issue, but as a matter of health equity and smart investment in people. When health is seen as an investment, not a cost, it becomes central to national development.
Demonstrating political will means backing this vision with tangible action, including consistent investment in health systems and regulatory infrastructure. Without proper funding, gaps in medicine quality and access will persist.
Parliaments also play a key role in aligning national laws with international standards, ensuring that regulators have the authority to act decisively. Clear, consistent legislation signals that maternal health and quality-assured medicines are a political priority.
T.T.: Multi-sectoral action means all have a role to play. How can scientists and researchers like me help parliamentarians like you to make meaningful progress on the issue?
O.A.: Scientists and researchers play a vital role in helping parliamentarians make informed, effective decisions, especially on complex issues like access to quality-assured medicines. One of the biggest barriers we face is the lack of accurate, timely data. Collaboration with technical experts like you is crucial, not just to provide evidence, but to help translate findings into policy-relevant insights.
At the same time, we need to strengthen data literacy among parliamentarians and our staff to foster a more evidence-informed culture within parliaments.
And evidence alone is not enough: we must also connect with the people behind the numbers. Your research, paired with real-life stories and community voices, can help humanize the issue and drive home the urgency of action. Together, we can bridge the gap between data, people, and policy.
T.T.: Through the IPU’s partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), you have engaged with WHO for many years. Looking ahead to five years from now, what would success look like to you? What signs would tell you that your parliamentary efforts have made a real difference for women and families?
O.A.: The partnership between the IPU and WHO has been instrumental in bringing the scientific and parliamentary communities closer together. This collaboration is fundamental to sustaining global parliamentary advocacy, ensuring that political leadership and scientific evidence move hand in hand. It also creates valuable spaces for parliamentarians to learn from one another’s experiences, understand what works in different contexts, and adapt successful approaches to their own countries.
At a time when global focus often shifts to conflict and security – the short-term response to crises – real progress would mean we have got our priorities straight, placing the health and lives of women and children at the center of national agendas.
I would see signs of impact in revised legislation that strengthens medicine regulation, increased health budgets that protect maternal health, governments procuring the right medicines in the right volumes, and parliamentarians working across party lines and publicly debating and demanding action on these issues.