In the wake of his OBE recommendations for the Kings Birthdays Honours list 2023, we caught up with our Founder, and Chair of the Executive Board, Prof. Arri Coomarasamy about why he set up the charity, and what has been the driving force behind his passion for Global Maternal Health.
I’m blessed with three beautiful daughters, my middle daughter Tara, was born in South Africa. It was in a nice private hospital but I remember asking the doctor “if you need blood during childbirth, where would you get that from?” and the doctor’s response was “Why would you need blood?” – this is when I started to say my prayers!
I was filled with a total sense of gratitude that everything went normally for my wife and for us, but I know that this is not the case for women throughout the world – I felt that my gratitude should translate into me doing something about making a difference to maternal health outcomes throughout the world.
So in 2007, in a small seminar room in the basement of Birmingham Women’s Hospital, I gathered with fellow doctors, midwives and other committed individuals determined to make a difference, and Ammalife was born.
This nomination feel’s recognition of the work of all the teams I am part of in tackling miscarriage and childbirth related deaths. Every 2 minutes,a mother dies during childbirth somewhere in the world. The impact of our work can be a matter of life and death for mothers and their children. I amdelighted that maternal and child health are being celebrated.
Imran Pasha, Chair of Trustee’s at Ammalife expressed his congratulations
I am delighted to hear that Arri has been recognised for his contribution to global maternal health. Arri was one of Ammalife’s founding trustee’s, and 15 years later he is still an integral part of the team. He volunteers his time and expertise to the charity, because like all of us here at Ammalife, he believes that research driven action is key to a safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth for all mothers, regardless of where they live. On behalf of every at Ammalife, I’d like to extend our gratitude and congratulations to Arri
