Newborn, maternal care challenges significant in BD: UN IGME

Bangladesh is facing significant challenges in maternal and newborn care, according to new reports released by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).

While progress has been made since 1990, the country continues to record the highest rate of stillbirths in South Asia, demanding immediate and scaled-up interventions.

The UN IGME child mortality report highlights that over 100,000 children in Bangladesh died before their fifth birthday in 2023, with nearly two-thirds of these casualties occurring within the first 28 days of life.

The second report, focused on stillbirths, indicates that Bangladesh records over 63,000 stillbirths annually, equating to 1 in every 41 births resulting in a stillbirth - the highest in South Asia.

To meet a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related target, Bangladesh must save an additional 28,000 newborns each year, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced maternal and newborn care.

"Over 100,000 newborns in Bangladesh die yearly from preventable causes such as premature birth, complications during delivery, and infections like sepsis and pneumonia, a violation of their basic right to survive and thrive," said Farook Adrian Doomun, OIC Representative of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Bangladesh.

Doomun said "We can save millions of babies and mothers if we invest more in strengthening the health system, focusing in priority on primary health care, and increase the number of trained health professionals, especially midwife at all levels, providing them the right tools so that every newborn is in a safe pair of hands. UNICEF, in collaboration with WHO, is committed to working with the Interim Government of Bangladesh and partners to achieve quality health care to prevent maternal and child mortality."

Key challenges contributing to high newborn mortality and stillbirth rates in Bangladesh include a higher number of home deliveries (30 per cent), limited access to small and sick newborn care, and the absence of midwives closer to their homes for normal vaginal delivery.

Additionally, poor antenatal and labor care, along with inadequate prevention and management of other disease conditions during pregnancy, perpetuate Bangladesh's high stillbirth rate, preventing the country from meeting its SDG targets. Funding and resource limitations exacerbate these issues, hindering progress towards reducing child mortality.

Bangladesh's achievements in maternal and child health are commendable, the statement said, adding weakened health systems often lead to inadequate care. A coordinated and unified system is necessary to reduce preventable deaths of mothers and children.

UNICEF and WHO urged the interim government of Bangladesh to increase facility births with skilled birth attendants, including at Union level, through midwives, expand newborn care units, boost trained nurses and midwifes, and improve antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care.

sajibur@gmail.com