Quality Care at Birth Could Save Nearly 3 Million Children

The majority of the almost 3 million children who die before they turn one month old could be saved if they received quality care around the time of birth， according to the findings released today in a study supported by the UN Children’s Fund （UNICEF）， which is urging additional attention and resources for this group of children.

According to UNICEF， 2.9 million babies die each year within their first 28 days. An additional 2.6 million babies are still-born， and 1.2 million of those deaths occur when the baby’s heart stops during labour.“The first 24 hours after birth are the most dangerous for both child and mother – almost half of maternal and new-born deaths occur then，” the UN agency has reported.

Countries that have made the most progress in saving newborn lives have paid specific attention to this group as part of the overall care extended to mothers and under-fives. Among these countries， every $1 invested in a mother’s or baby’s health gives a nine-fold return on investment in social and economic benefit， according to UNICEF.A survey of 51 countries with the highest burden of new-born deaths found that if the quality of care received by the richest were to become universal， there would be 600，000 fewer deaths per year – an almost 20 per cent reduction.