At the International Maternal and Newborn Health Conference (IMNHC 2026) in Nairobi, more than 1,800 experts from 87 countries came together with renewed urgency and shared purpose. Throughout the week, participants sharing new evidence and practical solutions to accelerate progress in women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health.
What emerged over the course of the week was a clear and consistent message: the field is not short on evidence or innovation. The challenge now is translating that progress into results at scale. Across plenaries, technical sessions, and country-level discussions, there was a noticeable shift in focus toward delivery, particularly how to implement what works in ways that are sustainable and reach those most in need.
IMNHC 2026 felt less like a moment of reflection and more like a call to move forward with greater focus and accountability.
From innovation to implementation
Nowhere was this shift more evident than in conversations on postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), one of the leading causes of maternal mortality globally and one of the most preventable.
A dedicated session on scaling new innovations to identify, prevent and treat PPH grounded the discussion in real-world experience. Speakers emphasized that tools now exist, including heat-stable carbetocin (HSC), tranexamic acid (TXA), and calibrated blood drapes, that are effective in resource-limited settings – and the results are impressive. In some regions, PPH incidence has declined significantly, with hundreds of cases averted through improved detection and treatment.
Yet, despite this progress, scaling these interventions remains slow and uneven.
Panelists highlighted a set of persistent barriers:
- Supply chain gaps, where products may be available nationally but do not reliably reach facilities or last-mile settings
- Fragmented coordination, with policy, procurement, and clinical guidance often moving at different speeds
- Limited visibility of data, making it difficult to forecast demand, advocate for investment, or track access
- Lack of provider confidence and uptake, particularly when introducing new products that require training and support
A consistent theme was that introducing a product is not enough. Successful scale requires aligning the full system, from national policy to facility-level ordering, with clear roles and accountability across actors and a shared understanding of timing.
The takeaway from this session was both practical and urgent. PPH is a challenge the field knows how to address. The barrier is not what to do, but how to implement quickly and effectively.
Strong health systems as the cornerstone for scale
IMNHC reinforced that sustained progress depends on the strength of underlying health systems.
Leaders from diverse contexts shared how they are using different approaches to improve maternal and newborn outcomes, from decentralized planning and dedicated financing to data-driven prioritization and innovative service delivery models. While the strategies differed, the foundation was similar: sustained investment in the health workforce, stronger primary care systems, and a focus on quality of care.
These themes were echoed in discussions on midwifery, where the focus has shifted from validating midwife-led models of care to operationalizing them. The question is no longer whether these models work, but how to plan, cost, and integrate them into national systems in a way that is sustainable.
The answer is greater coordination across financing, policy, and service delivery as well as moving beyond pilots and toward approaches that are designed for long-term sustainability from the start.
Data as a foundation for action
Data came up again and again, not as a technical detail, but as a critical enabler of progress.
As one speaker noted, “Without data, our progress goes dark.”
Sessions highlighted a growing emphasis on strengthening data systems that are not only robust, but usable. This includes moving toward individual-level data, improving interoperability across platforms, and ensuring that countries are equipped to use data to guide decisions in real time.
At the same time, challenges persist. Fragmentation across tools, inconsistent data quality, and limited use of data for decision-making continue to constrain impact. The opportunity ahead lies not only in new technologies, but in strengthening the systems that ensure data informs policy and planning and ultimately shapes service delivery at all levels.
Centering lived experience
Amid the technical discussions, some of the most powerful moments of the conference came from women with lived experience. Speakers shared deeply personal stories about their pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, as well as loss, bringing urgency and clarity to the conversations. These perspectives reminded the audience that maternal health is not only a technical challenge, but a very human one.
Midwives, advocates, and women reinforced that behind every statistic is a person, a family, and a set of expectations that health systems are meant to meet.
Bringing lived experience into program design and service delivery is critical to improving outcomes. It also plays an important role in rebuilding trust in health systems.
Looking ahead
Across the conference, there was a stronger sense of collective responsibility. Speakers acknowledged both the progress made and the reality that preventable maternal and newborn deaths remain far too high.
For those working across maternal and newborn health, a few priorities stand out:
- Strengthening systems to deliver quality care consistently
- Focusing on implementation and scale, not just innovation
- Investing in data systems that support decision-making and accountability
- Centering women’s voices in how care is designed and delivered
The building blocks are in place. The opportunity now is to bring them together in ways that lead to sustained, measurable change.