Due to its large birth cohort, India tops a list of 10 countries that together account for 60 percent of global maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn deaths, and 51 percent of global live births. world, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday.
The latest estimate published in the WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA progress monitoring report was presented at the ‘International Conference on Maternal and Newborn Health’ (IMNHC 2023) underway here.
It shows that there was a combined total of 4.5 million deaths: maternal deaths (0.29 million), stillbirths (1.9 million) and newborn deaths (2.3 million), in 2020-2021.
Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia are the regions experiencing the highest number of deaths, although across regions there are variations in the pace at which countries are making progress in reaching the global targets by 2030.
According to the first joint progress monitoring report of the Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) and Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM), global progress in reducing deaths of pregnant women, mothers and babies has stalled for eight years due to declining investments in maternal health. and newborn health.
“Pregnant women and newborns continue to die at unacceptably high rates around the world, and the coronavirus pandemic has created further setbacks in getting them the medical care they need,” said Dr. Anshu Banerjee, Director of Health and Aging at the Mother, the Newborn, the Child and the Adolescent in the World Health Organization (WHO), he said.
“If we want to see different results, we have to do things differently. More and smarter investments in primary health care are needed so that all women and babies, no matter where they live, have the best chance for health and survival,” said Banerjee.
Addressing the media at IMNHC, Dr Allisyn Moran, WHO Lead for Maternal Health, said maternal, newborn and stillbirth mortality have declined since 2000, but since 2015, there has been a significant plateau in the reduction of maternal mortality and the reduction of stillbirths.
“We really need to work hard as a community to accelerate that progress so we can meet the SDG targets by 2030. To do that, we must implement life-saving interventions for quality prenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care for women and children. newborns and the prevention of stillbirths. “We have coverage targets for antenatal care, skilled attendance at birth, and postnatal care by 2025. We know that interventions need to be delivered alongside quality, respectful care,” Moran said.
India saw 7,88,000 maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths in 2020, out of the total 4.5 million deaths worldwide. The country also accounts for 17 percent of live births globally, which could be a factor in the large number of maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths.
It is followed by Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and China in maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
The trend data revealed that global progress in reducing maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths has slowed over the past decade. The progress made between 2000 and 2010 was faster than in the years after 2010. It is critical to determine the reasons for this slower pace and take steps to address them.
“Global challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, conflict and other emergencies, as well as increases in the cost of living within countries, have the potential to further slow progress this decade, which which justifies greater urgency and investment towards maternal and neonatal health goals. ”, the report said.
As is often the case, vulnerability, fear and loss are not evenly distributed around the world, said Steven Lauwerier, UNICEF Director of Health.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, babies, children and women, already exposed to threats to their well-being, especially those living in fragile countries and emergencies, face the most serious consequences of decreased spending and efforts to provide quality and accessible services. healthcare,” she said.
Funding shortfalls and underinvestment in primary health care can devastate prospects for survival, the report highlights.
In the hardest-hit countries of sub-Saharan Africa and central and southern Asia, the regions with the highest burden of maternal and newborn deaths, fewer than 60 percent of women receive even four prenatal check-ups out of the eight recommended by the WHO, according to the report. . fixed.
“This is a silent emergency that we have and we need to change the future. This report tells us that we must do much better if we are to prevent maternal deaths, newborn deaths and stillbirths, and not to forget morbidity in mothers and also in newborns. We also need to focus on quality of care and data. More data, better data and data from different levels so we can collect more information,” said Dr. Willibald Zeck, UNFPA Chief of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
To increase survival rates, women and babies must have quality, affordable health care before, during and after delivery, the agencies said, as well as access to family planning services. More skilled and motivated health workers are needed, especially midwives, along with essential medicines and supplies, clean water and reliable electricity.
The report also emphasized that interventions must especially target the poorest women and those in vulnerable situations who are most likely to lose vital care, including through critical subnational planning and investments.
Further improving maternal and newborn health requires addressing harmful gender norms, biases and inequities, she added.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
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