Global Health & Healthcare | 8 October 2026
WHO and Partners Launch Global Roadmap on Hypertension in Pregnancy
The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners launched a new global roadmap on 8 October 2026 to tackle hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. The roadmap establishes a shared direction for research, clinical guidance, access to medicines and diagnostics, healthcare implementation, and accountability through 2035 and beyond.
What Has WHO Announced?
WHO announced the Global Roadmap for Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy 2026–2035 and Beyond at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Global Conference. The initiative brings together governments, researchers, healthcare professionals, funders, industry, civil society and development partners around a coordinated response to pregnancy-related hypertension.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a major cause of maternal illness and death and can also lead to stillbirth, premature birth and newborn complications. The conditions include pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, which can become life-threatening when they are not detected and managed promptly.
The roadmap aims to improve the development of new solutions while expanding access to interventions that are already known to help protect pregnant women and their babies. It also seeks to address inequalities in healthcare access, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
What Are Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy?
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are conditions involving high blood pressure during pregnancy or in the period associated with pregnancy. They can create serious risks for both the pregnant woman and the baby and require appropriate monitoring, assessment and medical care.
Pre-eclampsia
Pre-eclampsia is a potentially serious pregnancy complication associated with high blood pressure and signs of organ involvement. It can progress rapidly and may require urgent medical assessment and treatment.
Eclampsia
Eclampsia involves seizures associated with pre-eclampsia and is a medical emergency. Prompt recognition and appropriate treatment are essential to reduce the risk of severe complications.
The global roadmap addresses these conditions through research, prevention, detection, treatment and stronger healthcare delivery. Individual diagnosis and treatment decisions must be made by qualified healthcare professionals.
Why Is a Global Roadmap Needed?
According to WHO, hypertensive disorders complicate an estimated 10–15% of pregnancies worldwide. The organization reports that these conditions account for approximately 16% of maternal deaths globally, equivalent to an estimated 42,000 deaths each year, alongside more than 500,000 stillbirths and newborn deaths.
The burden is not distributed equally. Women in settings with limited access to antenatal care, reliable blood-pressure measurement, diagnostic testing, essential medicines and emergency obstetric services face additional risks.
WHO also identifies gaps in research and innovation. Investment has concentrated heavily on diagnostics, while the development of new preventive and treatment options remains insufficient relative to the scale of the problem. The roadmap aims to align research priorities, funding and implementation around this challenge.
Five Priority Areas of the 2026–2035 Roadmap
The roadmap organizes its shared objectives across five areas designed to connect scientific progress with improvements in real-world healthcare delivery.
1. Research and Innovation
The roadmap calls for stronger research to improve the prediction, detection and treatment of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. It highlights the need to address gaps in preventive and therapeutic innovation and to direct research investment towards important unanswered questions.
2. Global Clinical Guidance
Clinical guidance helps healthcare professionals make evidence-informed decisions about screening, diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Coordinated work on norms and standards can support the development and use of appropriate recommendations across different health systems.
3. Access to Medicines and Diagnostics
Early recognition and appropriate treatment depend on access to basic blood-pressure measurement, urine protein testing and essential medicines. The roadmap emphasizes improving the availability and accessibility of relevant health products, including in underserved communities.
4. Implementation
Evidence-based interventions must be delivered through functioning healthcare systems. Implementation priorities include strengthening antenatal care, referral pathways, trained health workforces and emergency obstetric services so that effective interventions reach the people who need them.
5. Advocacy and Accountability
The roadmap calls for coordinated action by governments, funders, researchers, healthcare professionals, industry, civil society and development partners. Advocacy and accountability are intended to help align commitments, investments and progress towards shared maternal and newborn health objectives.
Global Research Priorities and Innovation Gaps
In May 2026, WHO brought together more than 140 partners at a global summit to identify 20 priority research questions concerning hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The aim was to guide future investment in better ways to predict, detect and treat these conditions.
The roadmap highlights a gap between the public-health burden and the limited availability of medicines specifically developed and approved by regulators for preventing or treating pre-eclampsia or eclampsia. It also points to longstanding underinvestment in new preventive and treatment options.
Addressing these gaps requires sustained research funding, collaboration between scientific and clinical communities, and pathways that can translate promising discoveries into accessible and appropriate healthcare interventions. The roadmap establishes priorities for coordinated action; it does not mean that new medicines have already been approved or become available.
Improving Access to Essential Care
Effective responses to pregnancy-related hypertension require more than scientific discoveries. Women need access to antenatal services, timely blood-pressure checks, appropriate diagnostic tests, essential medicines and healthcare professionals who can recognize complications and arrange urgent treatment.
WHO identifies gaps in diagnostic capacity, medicines, trained staff, referral systems and emergency obstetric services as important barriers in many settings. These gaps can delay the recognition and management of serious complications.
The roadmap encourages coordinated improvements across health systems so that proven interventions can reach women and babies who need them. This includes attention to communities affected by poverty, humanitarian crises, geographic isolation and other barriers to healthcare access.
Why Low- and Middle-Income Countries Need Particular Attention
WHO notes that women and newborns in low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected by gaps in access to quality maternal healthcare. Limited availability of routine antenatal services, medicines, diagnostics and emergency care can increase the likelihood that complications are detected late.
Women living in humanitarian emergencies, remote areas or communities facing financial and social barriers may experience additional difficulties accessing appropriate care. Addressing these inequalities requires services that are accessible, adequately staffed and supported by reliable referral systems.
The roadmap promotes coordinated research, policy and investment priorities intended to help make effective interventions more widely available. Implementation will depend on national priorities, available resources and the capacity of local health systems.
Long-Term Health Effects for Mothers and Children
The consequences of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy can extend beyond childbirth. WHO reports that affected women face increased risks later in life of chronic hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney disease.
Children exposed to these complications during pregnancy may also face increased risks associated with premature birth and longer-term cardiovascular and metabolic health problems.
These longer-term effects strengthen the case for appropriate follow-up and continuity of care. The roadmaps wider objectives connect immediate maternal and newborn outcomes with the need to reduce preventable illness over time.
What Governments, Funders and Researchers Are Being Asked to Do
WHO is calling on governments, funders, researchers, healthcare professionals, industry, civil society and development partners to align their investments and actions around the roadmaps shared objectives.
- Support research into the prediction, prevention, detection and treatment of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
- Strengthen evidence-based clinical guidance and the adoption of appropriate standards.
- Improve access to essential medicines, diagnostic tools and reliable blood-pressure measurement.
- Expand the capacity of antenatal care and emergency obstetric services.
- Improve coordination between researchers, healthcare providers, policymakers and funders.
- Track progress and strengthen accountability for maternal and newborn health objectives.
The roadmap provides a framework for coordinated action through 2035 and beyond. It should not be interpreted as an announcement that every participating country has adopted identical national measures, funding commitments or implementation deadlines.
How the Roadmap Supports Global Health Goals
The initiative aligns with Sustainable Development Goal targets 3.1 and 3.2, which concern reducing maternal mortality and ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under five.
Progress requires connected efforts in research, clinical practice, access to essential health products and the delivery of quality care. A shared roadmap can help stakeholders coordinate these efforts instead of addressing each barrier in isolation.
Its longer-term impact will depend on the implementation of evidence-based interventions, sustained investment, stronger health systems and measurable progress in maternal and newborn outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What did WHO announce on 8 October 2026?
WHO and its partners launched the Global Roadmap for Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy 2026–2035 and Beyond to coordinate research, clinical guidance, access to medicines and diagnostics, implementation, advocacy and accountability.
2. What conditions does the roadmap address?
It addresses hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, which can cause serious complications for pregnant women and their babies.
3. How common are hypertensive disorders of pregnancy?
WHO estimates that these disorders complicate approximately 10–15% of pregnancies worldwide. The organization reports that they account for around 16% of maternal deaths globally.
4. What are the five priority areas of the roadmap?
The five areas are research and innovation, norms and standards, access to health products, implementation, and advocacy and accountability.
5. Does the roadmap provide direct financial assistance to pregnant women?
No. The roadmap is a global coordination framework for research, healthcare policy and implementation. It does not announce a direct cash benefit or an individual application programme.
6. Why are medicines and diagnostics important?
Reliable blood-pressure measurement, appropriate diagnostic testing and access to essential medicines can help healthcare professionals recognize and manage complications. Availability and timely access remain challenges in some health systems.
7. What did WHOs May 2026 research summit achieve?
WHO brought together more than 140 partners to identify 20 priority research questions intended to guide future investment in predicting, detecting and treating hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
8. Where can readers find the official roadmap?
The roadmap is available through the official WHO publication page at https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240125483.
Conclusion
The WHO global roadmap on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy sets out a coordinated approach to reducing preventable maternal and newborn illness and deaths through 2035 and beyond. Its five priority areas connect research and innovation with clinical guidance, access to health products, implementation, and accountability.
The announcement highlights the importance of combining scientific progress with accessible, high-quality healthcare. Governments, researchers, funders and health professionals will play important roles in translating the roadmaps priorities into practical improvements for women and newborns worldwide.
