Every year in Bangladesh, over 93,000 babies die during childbirth or within 24 hours of being born, only because nearly 20 lakh women have to give birth without the presence of a trained birth attendant.
The findings were revealed yesterday in a report titled “Ending Newborn Deaths,” prepared by children’s aid agency Save the Children.
According to the report, half of the first-day deaths and stillbirths around the world including Bangladesh could be prevented if the mother and baby had free healthcare and a skilled midwife.
Globally, 2.2 million children die each year during childbirth or within the first day of life; and 40 million women around the world receive no healthcare support to deliver their babies.
Dr Arefin Amal Islam, deputy director (newborn health) of Save the children, told the Dhaka Tribune that thousands of babies especially newborns died each year in the country, despite Bangladesh being able to reduce maternal mortality by 40% in the last decade.
He said according to Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey 2011, the death rate of under-five children (per 1,000 live birth) in Bangladesh was 53. Among the total number of child death, 75% children died within one week, including 50% who died within 24 hours of their birth.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Save the Children and other organisations have taken necessary initiatives to stop newborn deaths (day 1 to 28 days), in a bid to reduce the under-five children death rate.
Bangladesh has set a target to reduce child death from 53 (per 1,000 live birth) to 20 within 2035.
To achieve the target, four necessary interventions have been introduced, which include applying “chlorhexidine” antiseptic after cutting the umbilical cord, providing corticosteroids to women who would give preterm birth, ensuring kangaroo mother care (to keep underweight baby at mother’s lap like kangaroo) and making antibiotics more easily available at union-level. The health ministry has reportedly been preparing four separate guidelines in this regard.
In a press release yesterday, Michael McGrath, country director for Save the Children in Bangladesh, said: “The first moments of a child’s life are the most dangerous, yet too many mothers give birth without any skilled help.
“It is criminal that many of these 93,000 deaths annually in Bangladesh could be averted simply by having someone around to make sure the birth took place safely and knew what to do in a crisis,” he added.
Bangladesh has made impressive progress on child mortality in recent years and was on track to achieve its United Nations Millennium Development Goal target of reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015.
“Despite impressive progress in child health, one in 35 children are still dying during childbirth or in its first day of life. Ending all preventable newborn deaths will require concerted effort to strengthen the overall health system such that the poor have access to free, high quality health services ,” said Michael Foley, Director of Health and Nutrition, Save the Children.
Asked about the new research Dr Arefin said the findings of the research have come out through various studies that were done in Bangladesh on child death.
