Inside the KAS Medics–Laerdal Collaboration

Maternal and newborn mortality remains one of the most stubborn public-health challenges across sub-Saharan Africa. In many cases, the issue isn’t a lack of intent or commitment from healthcare workers, it’s the absence of practical training tools, real-time decision support, and systems that prepare teams for high-pressure clinical moments.

For more than five years, KAS Medics Ltd and Laerdal Global Health have been tackling this gap head-on in Tanzania, partnering to deploy the Safer Births Bundle of Care, a comprehensive, simulation-based approach designed to strengthen frontline maternal and newborn care where it matters most.

From Theory to Practice: Why Simulation Matters

The Safer Births Bundle of Care is built on a simple but powerful insight: outcomes improve when healthcare professionals are trained the way they work: hands-on, under pressure, and as a coordinated team.

Rather than relying solely on classroom instruction, the program emphasizes repeated, realistic simulation that allows midwives, nurses, and clinicians to practice managing complications such as postpartum hemorrhage and newborn asphyxia before they encounter them in real life. This approach builds muscle memory, confidence, and speed, three factors that often determine survival in delivery rooms.

KAS Medics’ Role on the Ground

As Laerdal Global Health’s primary local partner and distributor in Tanzania, KAS Medics has played a critical execution role. Over the course of the program, the team has supplied more than 225 simulation and monitoring devices to hospitals and health facilities across the country, ensuring that training isn’t centralized or theoretical, but embedded directly into daily clinical environments.

To date, the Safer Births Bundle of Care has been implemented in over 30 health facilities across five regions, with momentum building toward national scale-up.

What the Safer Births Bundle Includes

The program is intentionally holistic, combining tools, data, and systems rather than isolated interventions:

• Simulation-based training: Healthcare workers train using simulators such as MamaNatalie and MamaBirthie for postpartum hemorrhage management, alongside NeoNatalie Live for newborn resuscitation.
• Clinical innovations at the bedside: Devices like the Moyo Fetal Heart Rate Monitor, NeoBeat Newborn Heart Rate Meter, Upright Newborn Bag Mask, and Penguin Suction support faster diagnosis and response during labor and immediately after birth.
• Continuous quality improvement: Regular data collection and outcome tracking help facilities identify gaps, refine protocols, and measure real-world impact over time.
• Sustainability and scalability: The model prioritizes local capacity: training trainers, embedding mentorship, and providing supportive supervision so improvements persist long after initial deployment.

Measurable Impact, Not Just Good Intentions

The results are hard to ignore. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that facilities implementing the Safer Births Bundle of Care achieved:

• 40% reduction in early newborn deaths
• 75% reduction in maternal deaths
• Significant improvements in healthcare worker preparedness, coordination, and response times during obstetric emergencies

These are not marginal gains; they represent lives saved at scale, through systems that work under real conditions.

Looking Ahead

The KAS Medics and Laerdal collaboration shows what’s possible when global innovation meets strong local execution. As the program expands, the focus remains clear: embed capability, not dependency; measure outcomes, not activity; and build healthcare systems that are resilient long after pilot programs end.

In a sector where progress is often slow and fragmented, this partnership stands out for its pragmatism and for proving that well-designed training, backed by the right tools, can fundamentally change outcomes for mothers and newborns alike.