UNICEF launched a worldwide campaign “Every Child Alive” on Tuesday, to demand and deliver solutions on behalf of the world’s newborns, along with a new report on newborn mortality.
The UNICEF Nepal said in a statement that in low-income countries, the average newborn mortality rate is 27 deaths per 1,000 births.
Newborns from the most risky places are up to 50 times more likely to die than those from the safest places.
According to the Nepal’s Demographic Health Survey 2016, one in 48 babies die in their first 28 days of life in the country, making up to 13,000 newborn deaths every year in Nepal.
According to the report, 80 per cent of newborn deaths are due to premature complications during birth or infections such as pneumonia and sepsis.
“These deaths can 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,” UNICEF said.
However, a shortage of well-trained health workers and midwives means that thousands do not receive the life-saving support they need to survive.
While in Norway there are 218 doctors, nurses and midwives to serve 10,000 people, that ratio is 2.3 per 10,000 in Nepal, as per the report.
Through the new campaign, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to governments, health care providers, donors, the private sector, families and businesses to keep every child alive.
According to UNICEF Nepal, the campaign will complement the Nepali government’s commitments and efforts to reduce newborn deaths and stillbirths through its 20-year Every Newborn Action Plan launched in 2016.
The Nepali government aims to reduce newborn mortality to below 11 deaths per 1,000 live births and a stillbirth rate of less than 13 per 1,000 total births by 2035 from the current rates of 23 and 18.4 respectively. (Xinhua/NAN)