Source: Daily Trust
The report, 'Surviving the 1st day; State of the World's Mothers 2013 was just released few days ago by Save the Children. The Report's forward which was written by the Melinda Gates Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation succinctly captured why we must invest in programmes that will enhance the survival of women and children especially the newborn.
"Any report on the state of the world's mothers is by definition a report on the state of the world, full stop. Women and girls - in many roles, including their role as mothers - drive improvements in the human condition. When we invest in them, we invest in a powerful source of global development. One way to invest in women and girls is to invest in the survival and well-being of their children, and the recent story of child survival is terrific nearly any way you look at it."
The report observed that globally, since 1970, the number of children dying has declined by more than half, even though the population has almost doubled. If the rate of death had stayed constant, more than 31 million children would have died in 2011. Instead, that number was 6.9 million. In many individual countries, progress has been even more dramatic. Barely a decade ago, in 1999, 1 in 5 Rwandan children die before turning 5. In 2011, the child mortality rate in Rwanda had fallen to 1 in 20. Other low income countries, such as Malawi, Bangladesh and Nepal have also made significant progress against enormous odds.
It further emphasised that it is now possible that all four countries will meet the 2015 United Nations' Millennium Development Goal (MDG 4) of reducing child deaths by two-thirds since 1990. We can make sure these numbers keep going in the right direction by investing in proven solutions such as vaccines, anti-malarial bed nets, vitamin A supplements and frontline health workers to deliver these lifesaving interventions. There is one other vital variable that until now has not received the attention it demands. Can we finally save the lives of newborn babies? This year's State of the World's Mothers report shows that the answer is yes, if the partners who have done such excellent work on maternal and child health also turn their attention to newborn health, starting with the day of childbirth.
It further revealed that each year, 3 million newborns die, making up nearly half (43 percent) of the world's under-5 child deaths. And yet almost all newborn deaths originate from preventable and treatable causes: we already have the tools available to save about three-quarters of the newborns who needlessly die each year. It also observed that we know how to stop this trend, because we understand the causes and solutions of newborn death like never before. Simple lifesaving treatments like a basic antiseptic for cleansing the umbilical cord can prevent deadly infections. Antenatal steroids help premature babies breathe. "Kangaroo mother care" keeps them warm, encourages breastfeeding and protects them from infection.
These inexpensive interventions haven't taken hold, but a new analysis in this report shows that four basic solutions alone could save more than 1 million newborns annually as soon as they do. Improvements in access to contraceptives, maternal nutrition and breastfeeding practices would save even more.
Nigeria's performance Nigeria's performance in improving maternal and newborn survival in an international context needs to jerk up. The report observed that Nigeria is currently a dangerous place for newborn babies. Partly due to high mortality rates, and partly because of its large population, it has the second most newborn deaths in the world, after India. The report highlighted 4 low-cost, underused solutions that have the potential to save lives if they are made available to every mother and baby who needs them. Also, recognising that national governments are better able to achieve their policy goals if they can monitor and evaluate their efforts effectively, the report presented a framework of 27 benchmarks to assess the readiness to implement newborn care at country level. These cover three broad categories: agenda setting, policy formulation and policy implementation. Key figures about Nigeria
1. Nigeria is one of the 10 worst places in which to be a mother, and has the second highest number of newborn deaths worldwide.
2. Every year, Nigeria loses 254,100 newborns, which account for 8.6% of all global newborn deaths
3. 1 in 5 Nigerian women give birth completely alone, unassisted by even a family member or friend
4. 14 newborn babies die in their first day, per 1,000 live births, which amounts to 12% of all under-5 deaths
5. 39 newborn babies die in their first month, per 1,000 live births, which amounts to 34% of all under-5 deaths.
Key Recommendations
Nigeria-specific - "Nigeria not only has high levels of newborn mortality, but large disparities in how this affects people of different income levels. Passage of a National Health Bill and approval from the executive branch to become law would provide a national framework for huge gains in reducing newborn mortality and preventable child and maternal deaths, in a country that accounts for 11 percent of global child deaths."
Another one that I will add is for us to accelerate the saving one million lives initiative by providing adequate commodities for our women and newborn.