Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Published : June 30, 2014 6:35 PM IST
It's been 45 years since our race put a man on the moon, our smartphones now have the computing capacity to boggle our minds and the average lifespan in developed countries has gone up to 90. Basically, it's a great time to be born, for never before have we had an environment so safe for the human race.
It's therefore extremely sad that in this day and age, there continue to be so many maternal and newborn deaths. The numbers have gone down tremendously over the last few years but 800 mothers dying each day around the world is simply unacceptable. Of these, 99% are deaths are in developing countries, deaths which could be preventable.
And this is what the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) 2014 hopes to eradicate from this world. The landmark event is being health in Johannesburg where the who's who of public health, politicians, the media and other members of civil society have gathered to discuss the post-2015 development agenda.
The event was inaugurated by Gra a Machel, Chairperson of PMNCH and African Ambassador for Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed, who is making her first public appearance since the end of her mourning period after the death of her husband, Nelson Mandela.'The world has made remarkable progress to improve health and expand opportunities over the past 14 years. Despite all efforts, there is still much more to be done,' said Gra a Machel.
'Women and children have not been covered adequately. We must ensure that all women, adolescent girls, children and newborns, no matter where they live, are able to fulfil their rights to health and education, and realize their full potential.' said Hilary Clinton in her video message.
The forum also saw participants pledge their financial and policy support and a range of new resources to support the implementation of the new Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP), a roadmap to improve newborn health and prevent stillbirths by 2035.
'We are privileged as a country to host this important meeting about the urgent need to improve women's and children's health. This global gathering gives us the opportunity to learn from each other's successes and challenges, and to identify new approaches,' said Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, South African Health Minister.
The current scenario
Currently, 2.9 million newborns die in the first 28 days of their lives and 2.6 million are stillborn. Of these, 15,000 babies are born and die without their deaths being noted (no birth or death certificates). The data in The Lancet Every Newborn Series indicates that about 3 million maternal and newborn deaths can be prevented each year with proven interventions at an annual cost of US$1.15 per year per person.
The ENAP which is endorsed by the World Health Assembly has been promised support from different stakeholders. 'There is absolutely no reason for so many newborns to die every year when their lives can be saved with simple, cost-effective solutions,' said Dr Flavia Bustreo, Assistant Director-General for Family, Women's and Community Health at the World Health Organization. 'The WHO remains committed to support countries and work with partners as the plan gets implemented, and to the accountability agenda, which includes reporting on progress achieved every year until 2030.'
The new Countdown to 2015 Report for 2014, which presents the latest assessment of progress in 75 countries that account for 95 per cent deaths, found that more than half of the of the mothers and children in the poorest sections (20%) of the population don't receive the health interventions required like vaccines, skilled birth attendance, etc.
The forum wasn't all doom and gloom though and also highlighted the impact of the fast-track countries which have achieved great strides in improving their maternal and children's health. These include Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda and Vietnam. The report showed that these fast-track countries achieved their goals despite huge social and economic challenges.
Watch this space for more updates from the forum.
Delegates at the Forum emphasised the importance of ensuring that future efforts focus on countries that are making slow progress, and on poor and marginalised populations, including newborns and adolescents. Delegates also urged political leaders to work across different sectors including education, skills and employment, water supply and sanitation, nutrition, energy, roads, and women's empowerment to ensure an integrated approach to improving the health of women and children.
What is the PMNCH?
The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) is a partnership of 625 organisations from across seven constituencies: governments, multilateral organisations, donors and foundations, non-governmental organisations, healthcare professional associations, academic, research and training institutions, and the private sector. Hosted by the World Health Organization and launched in 2005, the vision of the Partnership is the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, with women and children enabled to realise their right to the highest attainable standard of health in the year to 2015 and beyond.
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