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CAPE TOWN, May 9 (PTI) – Thanks to its large birth cohort, India tops 10 countries which together account for 60 per cent of global maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths 51%. A UN report released on Tuesday.
World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund and United Nations Population Fund published the latest progress tracking report estimates at the ongoing International Conference on Maternal and Newborn Health (IMNHC 2023). It shows a total of 4.5 million deaths in 2020-21 – maternal deaths (290,000), stillbirths (1.9 million) and neonatal deaths (2.3 million).
Read also | Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw met Google CEO Sundar Pichai in US to discuss Make in India plans.
Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South Asia are the regions with the highest number of deaths, although across all regions countries are progressing towards the 2030 global target at varying rates.
Global progress in reducing maternal, maternal and infant deaths due to reduced investment in maternity Progress has stalled for eight years and newborn health.
“Maternal and newborn mortality rates continue to be unacceptably high around the world, and the coronavirus pandemic further hinders access to the health care they need,” said Director of Obstetrics, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health and Aging Dr. Anshu Banerjee said. The World Health Organization (WHO) said.
“If we want to see different outcomes, we have to do things differently. More and smarter investments in primary health care are needed so that every woman and baby – no matter where they live – has best health and chances of survival,” Banerjee said.
Speaking to the media at IMNHC, Dr Allisyn Moran, Head of Maternal Health at WHO, said that since 2000, maternal and neonatal mortality and stillbirth rates have declined, but since 2015, maternal mortality and the decline in stillbirth rates leveled off significantly.
“As a community, we really need to work hard to accelerate this process so that we can achieve the SDGs by 2030. To achieve this, we need to implement life-saving interventions and provide quality health care for women and newborns. Antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care, and prevention of stillbirth.
“We set coverage targets for antenatal, skilled birth attendant and postnatal care by 2025. We know that interventions need to be delivered alongside quality and respectful care,” Moran said.
In 2020, there were 788,000 maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths in India, out of a global total of 4.5 million. The country also accounts for 17 percent of live births globally, which may be a factor in the high number of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
This was followed by maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn deaths in Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and China.
Trend data show that global progress in reducing maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths has slowed over the past decade. Progress between 2000 and 2010 was faster than in the years since 2010.
Identifying the causes of this slowdown and taking action to address them is critical.
“Global challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, conflict and other emergencies, and rising costs of living within countries threaten to further slow progress this decade, requiring greater urgency and investment in maternal and Newborn Health Goals,” the report said.
In many cases, vulnerability, fear and loss are not evenly distributed around the world, said UNICEF Director of Health Steven Lauwerier. “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, infants, children and women already facing threats to their well-being, especially those living in fragile states and in emergencies, are facing reduced spending and efforts to provide quality and accessible The worst consequences of serving health care,” he said.
The report highlights that underfunding and underinvestment in primary health care can undermine survival prospects.
In the worst-affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South Asia – regions with the highest burden of newborn and maternal death – fewer than 60% of women receive the eight WHO-recommended antenatal care four of them, the report said.
“This is a silent emergency and we need to change the future. This report tells us if we want to avoid maternal deaths, neonatal deaths and stillbirths, and don’t forget morbidity in mothers and newborns. We also need Focus on quality of care and data. More data, better data and data from different levels so that we can gather more information,” said Dr Willibald Zeck, Chief, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, UNFPA.
To improve survival rates, women and babies must have access to quality and affordable health care before, during and after childbirth, as well as access to family planning services, the agencies said. In addition to essential medicines and supplies, safe drinking water and reliable electricity, more skilled and motivated health workers, especially midwives, are needed.
The report also highlights that interventions should specifically target the poorest women and vulnerable groups most at risk of missing out on life-saving care, including through key local programming and investments.
Improving maternal and newborn health also requires addressing harmful gender norms, bias and inequalities, it added.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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