Owing to its large birth cohort, India leads the list of 10 countries that account for 60 per cent of global maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths and 51 per cent of live births globally, according to a UN report released on Tuesday. are responsible for.
The latest published estimate in a progress tracking report by WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA was launched at the ongoing ‘International Maternal Newborn Health Conference’ (IMNHC 2023) here.
It shows that a combined 4.5 million deaths occurred in 2020-2021 – maternal deaths (0.29 million), stillbirths (1.9 million) and neonatal deaths (2.3 million).
Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia are the regions with the highest number of deaths, although across regions, there is variation with respect to the pace at which countries are making progress in their efforts to achieve the global 2030 targets.
According to the first-ever combined Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) and Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) progress tracking report, global progress in reducing deaths of pregnant women, mothers and infants has been delayed for eight years due to declining investment in maternal health has been stable. and neonatal health.
“Pregnant women and newborns are dying at an unacceptably high rate around the world, and the coronavirus pandemic has created further setbacks in providing the health care they need,” Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Aging Director Dr Anshu Banerjee World Health Organization (WHO) said.
“If we want to see different results, we must do things differently. More and better investment in primary health care is needed so that every woman and child – wherever they live – has access to health and survival. Have the best chance,” Banerjee said.
Addressing the media at IMNHC, Dr Alisin Moran, Chief of Maternal Health at WHO said that maternal, neonatal mortality and still births have declined since 2000, but there has been a significant reduction in maternal mortality and still births since 2015. plateau.
“We really need to work hard as a community to accelerate that progress so that we can achieve the SDG targets by 2030. To get there, we need quality antenatal, antenatal and postnatal care for women There is a need to implement life-saving measures to protect the newborn, and prevent stillbirths. We have coverage targets for prenatal, skilled birth assisted and postnatal care through 2025, Moran said. We know there is a need for intervention with quality and respectful care.”
India witnessed 7,88,000 maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths in 2020 out of a total of 4.5 million deaths globally. The country also accounts for 17 percent of global live births, which may account for the large number of maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths.
It is followed by Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and China in terms of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
Trend data showed that global progress in reducing maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths has been slow during the past decade. The gains made between 2000 and 2010 were sharper than in the years after 2010. It is important to determine the reasons for this slowness and take action to overcome them.
“Global challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, conflict and other emergencies as well as rising costs of living within countries are likely to slow further progress this decade, rendering greater urgency for maternal and newborn health goals and investment is required. , “said the report.
As is often the case, vulnerability, fear and harm are not spread evenly around the world, said Steven Lavarrier, UNICEF’s director of health.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, infants, children and women, who were already exposed to threats to their well-being, especially those living in fragile countries and emergencies, have benefited from reduced costs and increased access to quality and are facing heavy consequences for their efforts. Healthcare,” he said.
Lack of funds and under-investment in primary health care can devastate survival chances, the report said.
In the worst-affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa and central and southern Asia – the regions with the greatest burden of neonatal and maternal deaths – less than 60 percent of women receive even four of the eight WHO-recommended prenatal screenings, the report said. Went.
“This is a silent emergency that we have and we need to change the future. This report is telling us that if we are to prevent maternal deaths, neonatal deaths and stillbirths, and not morbidity in mothers and newborns If we want to forget, we need to do massive reforms. We also need to focus on quality of care and data. More data, better data and data from different levels so that we can collect more information,” said UNFPA chief Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Dr. Willibald Zech said.
The agencies said that to increase survival rates, women and infants must have quality and affordable healthcare before, during and after childbirth, as well as access to family planning services. There is a need for essential medicines and supplies, safe water and reliable electricity, as well as more skilled and motivated health workers, especially midwives.
The report also stresses that interventions should specifically target the poorest women and those in vulnerable situations who are most likely to miss out on life-saving care, including significant sub-national planning and investment .
It states that improving maternal and newborn health requires addressing harmful gender norms, biases and inequalities.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)