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New mothers at a health clinic in Maiduguri |
Agency report
Newborns are dying at “alarmingly high” rates in countries
that are poor, conflict-ridden or have weak institutions, the UN Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) said on Tuesday in a new report.
The new UNICEF report revealed that babies born in these
places were 50 times more likely to die in the first month of life than those
born in some wealthier nations.
The report also noted that eight of the 10 most dangerous
places to be born are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Nigeria ranked 13th country with the largest number of
newborn deaths in 2016 with 247 deaths in 1,000 and accounted for nine per cent
of share of all global newborn deaths.
Countries with the highest newborn mortality rates are
Pakistan – 1 in 22, Central African Republic – 1 in 24, Afghanistan – 1 in 25,
Somalia – 1 in 26, Lesotho – 1 in 26, Guinea-Bissau – 1 in 26, South Sudan – 1
in 26, Côte d’Ivoire – 1 in 27, Mali – 1 in 28 and Chad – 1 in 28.
In these countries, pregnant women are much less likely to
receive assistance during delivery due to poverty, conflict and weak
institutions.
“Every year, 2.6 million newborns around the world do not
survive their first month of life. One million of them die the day they are
born.
“We know we can save the vast majority of these babies with
affordable, quality health care solutions for every mother and every newborn.
“Just a few small steps from all of us can help ensure the
first small steps of each of these young lives.
“Given that the majority of these deaths are preventable,
clearly, we are failing the world’s poorest babies,” UNICEF Executive Director
Henrietta Fore said.
According to the report, babies born in Japan, Iceland and
Singapore have the best chance of survival, while newborns in Pakistan, the
Central African Republic and Afghanistan face the worst odds.
UNICEF said globally, in low-income countries, the average
newborn mortality rate is 27 deaths per 1,000 births, the report says. In
high-income countries, that rate is 3 deaths per 1,000.
The report stated that in Japan, one in 1,111 newborn babies
die in the first month of life while in Pakistan, the ratio is one in 22.
It added that if every country brought its newborn mortality
rate down to the high-income average by 2030, 16 million lives could be saved.
More than 80 per cent of newborn deaths are due to
prematurity, complications during birth or infections such as pneumonia and
sepsis, the report said.
The report said deaths could be prevented with access to
well-trained midwives, along with proven solutions like clean water,
disinfectants, breastfeeding within the first hour, skin-to-skin contact and
good nutrition.
However, a shortage of well-trained health workers and
midwives means that thousands don’t receive the life-saving support they need
to survive, it stressed.
For example, while in Norway there are 218 doctors, nurses
and midwives to serve 10,000 people, that ratio is one per 10,000 in Somalia.
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