EVEN after initial progress, the number of deaths of pre-term baby is still climbing, according to data released by international sources, reported the local newspapers. The doctors call them a pre-term baby who is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. The reports showed that around 70 premature babies die each day in Bangladesh within first 4 weeks of birth. Complete prevention of such a scenario is not possible, but the irksome issue is ¾ the rate could be lowered by 75 percent if the state took stronger initiatives to provide technical facilities and skilled manpower in the public hospitals.
A growing number of leading gynaecologists and neonatalogists were reported saying that some private hospitals do have the facilities and skilled staff to treat premature infants but according to reports, only the rich can avail the highly expensive treatment and care, leaving the majority of parents unable to avail the services.
A study jointly conducted by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, World Health Organization and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2013 showed that Bangladesh’s estimated death of 26,100 pre-term babies per year ranks it sixth from the bottom. Supporting data from the Health Ministry showed that an estimated 21,900 premature babies die within 28 days of their birth each year in Bangladesh. Many of the premature babies who survive early death become blind and have a host of lifelong physical, neurological, learning, poor mental growth and other disabilities.
Specialists said that the number of pre-term births was increasing as mothers who suffer from being underweight, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, infection and multi-fetal pregnancy give birth to premature babies and underage and overage mothers also give birth to premature babies as well. Premature babies are born with various complications including respiratory problems, inability to eat, infections, jaundice and an inability to absorb heat, all of which need proper treatment to cut down mortality, according to reports and only a handful of government hospitals were equipped to take care of the premature babies.
Seemingly, the country has an extended health infrastructure down to the Upazila level. But inefficiency, under-staffing non-professionalism, corruption, poor regulations and monitoring of the health delivery system and; lower budgetary allocation have made the health sector a non or under-performing one. Above all else, specialised services are metro-centric and hence not accessible or affordable to all. We feel, the public funded hospital should have specific service windows for neo-natal care, particularly for the pre-term babies, so the present scenario of high mortality could be reserved and the precious lives of many could be saved.
