Labour inducing drug saves lives

SAFETY and the effectiveness of oral misoprostol treatments during labour have been successfully carried out to reduce maternal diseases, a medical officer says.
Dr John Bolnga of the Madang Modilon General Hospital said misoprostol was an induction agent that became popular in resource-limited settings such as PNG.
He made a presentation on safety and efficacy of oral misoprostol for the induction of labour at the medical symposium in Port Moresby last week.
“It is because it is stable at room temperature, cheap and easy to administer,” Bolnga said.
“Induction of labour is a critical lifesaving intervention that has been shown to significantly impact on reducing mother-to-child sickness,” Bolnga said.
He said they conducted a randomised controlled trial to determine the safety and effectiveness of two different doses of oral misoprostol.
One is the standard arm which is 25 micrograms, and the other is the intervention arm of 12 micrograms.
“Oral misoprostol for induction of labour in both treatment arms were basically successful.”