Formal NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health insists that innovation has a key role to play in realising global aims of ensuring equity of access to high quality healthcare for women and babies.

Celebrated on 7 April 2025, this year’s World Health Day will focus on maternal and newborn health with a campaign entitled ‘Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures’.

Part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) campaign sees governments and the health community urged to reinvigorate efforts to ensure equity of access to high quality healthcare by investing in “proven, high-impact interventions”.

This, the WHO says, means improvements in early complication detection, lifesaving emergency obstetric care – recognising that most maternal and newborn deaths occur during or shortly after birth – and better specialised care for small and premature babies.

Head of Project Management at InnoScot Health, Gillian Henderson said: “We fully support the message that the health of mothers and babies is the foundation of healthy families and communities, and this vital WHO focus helps to ensure hopeful futures for us all.

“We agree that global investment is required to prevent maternal and newborn deaths, and to prioritise longer-term health and wellbeing for mothers and babies – but believe an onus should be placed on innovation as an enabler to help affect that positive transformation.

“In order to bring about ‘proven, high-impact interventions’, innovation in this area – identified and accelerated by new thinking drawn from diverse NHS expertise – can help to bring about the breakthroughs we need.

“Innovation can also offer greater equity of access if delivered correctly to communities, in turn supporting efforts to bridge the gender health gap.

“It’s not just about realising improvements up to and during birth. It’s also about ensuring access to health providers at all times, improving the rights of women and girls everywhere so they can better protect their health and wellbeing on a long-term basis.”

The WHO says that complications from prematurity have become the leading cause of death among children under five worldwide.

It also states that, based on current trends, four out of five countries are off track to meet targets for improving maternal survival by 2030.

Gillian continued: “We applaud the World Health Day aim of ‘ensuring that every mother and baby not only survive but thrive’.

“The campaign also states that health systems must evolve to manage not only direct obstetric complications but also mental health conditions, noncommunicable diseases, and family planning, supporting physical as well as emotional wellbeing.

“InnoScot Health believes that targeted innovation drawing on the unique knowledge and insight of NHS staff can help to meet those needs.

“With the right support and advice, incredible advances can be made by NHS Scotland’s agents of change, producing lifechanging improvements for mothers, babies, and families.”

InnoScot Health is proud of its track record in this area, continuing to encourage the submission of pregnancy and perinatal care ideas, recently launching a drive to engage midwives, nurses, and allied health professionals (AHPs), and collaborating on the development of Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (By Stacey)™.

You can spread awareness about the World Health Day campaign online by using the hashtags #HopefulFutures and #HealthForAll