UNICEF's Neonatal Mortality Report

Why in news?

• A recent UNICEF report, titled “Every Child Alive”, gives a country-wise ranking of neonatal mortality rates (NMR).
• NMR is the probability of dying during the first 28 days of life, expressed per 1,000 live births.

What are the highlights of the report?

• India - India ranks 12th among 52 low-middle income countries having the highest infant mortality rates.
• Neonatal mortality rate is recorded at 25.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in India in 2016.
• A small mortality rate can translate to numerous deaths when the birth-rate is high.
• It thus translates to death of over six lakh children within the first month of their birth in India in 2016.
• Worryingly, this is more than any other country.
• With this, India is ranked below Sri Lanka (127), Bangladesh (54), Nepal (50) and Bhutan (60).
• Global - Globally, 2.6 million children died in the first month of life in 2016.
• The average newborn mortality in low-income nations is nine times the rate of high-income countries.
• In low-income countries, the average newborn mortality rate is 27 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• In high-income countries, it is 3 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• Newborns in Pakistan, the Central African Republic and Afghanistan face the worst odds.
• Babies born in Japan, Iceland and Singapore are said to have the best chance of survival.

What is the concern with India?

• India has more than halved the number of deaths among children under the age of five in the last quarter century.
• India is nearly meeting its MDG target, with a 66% reduction in under-five deaths during 1990 to 2015.
• However, it has not made similar progress in ending deaths among children less than one month old.
• Notably, India is ranked behind poorer countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Rwanda.

What does it call for?

• Political will - A majority of these deaths are preventable.

• The report has stressed that financial resources were not the biggest constraint in improving this health indicator.
• It is rather the political will that is essential now to ensure better newborn survival.
• Evidently, Rwanda, which falls in the lowest income group, has reduced its mortality rates from 41/1000 in the 1990s to 16.5.
• This is achieved through programmes targeted at poor and vulnerable mothers.
• Health care - Addressing gaps in quality of health care is the need of the hour in India.
• Hospitals should ensure that the critical products to save the newborns are available.
• It ranges from a piece of cloth to keep the baby warm to antibiotics and disinfectants to stave off killers like sepsis and meningitis.
• Mother's health - The biggest cause of death is premature birth.
• The second is complications like asphyxia during delivery.
• Preventing these would mean paying attention to the mother’s health during pregnancy.
• It should be ensured that she delivers in a hospital attended by trained doctors or midwives.
• Programmes such as the Janani Suraksha Yojana should be expanded to reach the poor and vulnerable in remote areas.
• Gender gap - The issue of neglect of the girl child is much broader and needs interventions beyond health.
• The associated concerns with social norms and cultural practices should also be addressed.
• Focussing on factors outside the healthcare system, like female literacy rates is also essential.
• States like Kerala and Tamil Nadu have focussed on these factors, bringing down newborn deaths to fewer than 15 per 1000.
• It is time for the rest of India to take lessons from these successful sates.

Source: The Hindu

Quick Fact

UNICEF

• The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is special program of the United Nations.
• It is devoted to aiding national efforts to improve the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children.