UNB, Dhaka :
Nearly 7,400 newborns die every day in the WHO South-East Asia region, including Bangladesh, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Seeking focused efforts by governments and partners to prevent newborn deaths with a sense of urgency, WHO on Monday said two-thirds of these deaths can be prevented by adopting proven and cost-effective measures.
“Scaling up interventions with good quality care around the time of childbirth and during the first days after birth can substantially prevent complications and infections in newborns, which are the main causes of newborn deaths,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director for WHO South-East Asia Region.
The WHO official came up the comment in New Delhi yesterday since health partners signed a pledge to reduce newborn deaths, said a WHO press release.
Led by WHO; Unicef, UNFPA, the World Bank, UNAIDS and UNWOMEN pledged to jointly support the countries in the region to prioritise accelerated reduction in newborn deaths by ensuring equitable access to essential life-saving interventions for mothers and babies across the region.
The region accounts for 30 percent of global newborn deaths with Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Nepal as the high-burden countries.
Dr Khetrapal Singh said each preventable death should be accounted for. Countries should review maternal and newborn deaths to improve health services to prevent such deaths in future.
Nearly 7,400 newborns die every day in the WHO South-East Asia region, including Bangladesh, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Seeking focused efforts by governments and partners to prevent newborn deaths with a sense of urgency, WHO on Monday said two-thirds of these deaths can be prevented by adopting proven and cost-effective measures.
“Scaling up interventions with good quality care around the time of childbirth and during the first days after birth can substantially prevent complications and infections in newborns, which are the main causes of newborn deaths,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director for WHO South-East Asia Region.
The WHO official came up the comment in New Delhi yesterday since health partners signed a pledge to reduce newborn deaths, said a WHO press release.
Led by WHO; Unicef, UNFPA, the World Bank, UNAIDS and UNWOMEN pledged to jointly support the countries in the region to prioritise accelerated reduction in newborn deaths by ensuring equitable access to essential life-saving interventions for mothers and babies across the region.
The region accounts for 30 percent of global newborn deaths with Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Nepal as the high-burden countries.
Dr Khetrapal Singh said each preventable death should be accounted for. Countries should review maternal and newborn deaths to improve health services to prevent such deaths in future.
