#AwarenessWednesday. Where you are born determines many things, including how likely you are to survive your first few days on earth. For those born in Japan, during the first 28 days of life only 1 in 1,000 babies will die. This number contrasts the statistics coming from Pakistan, where of every 1,000 babies born 46 die in their first month- that is almost 1 in 20.
Why is this? How come every year that passes we lose 2.6 million babies before they reach their first month? How come another 2.6 million are stillborn? How come a little over a million don't even make it past their first day?
Believe it or not, these deaths are mostly preventable, 80% of these deaths can be attributed to premature births, complications during labor and delivery, infections such as sepsis and pneumonia. How are they preventable? Access. Basic needs such as affordable healthcare, clean water, proper nutrition are not attainable by those who need it the most.
In order to properly combat this issue, a two-pronged focus is necessary. The first task involves ensuring access to maternal and newborn health services, the second task is making sure that these health services reach a certain standard of quality for both mothers and newborns.
What will this require?
Place: Guaranteeing clean and functioning facilities for mothers and newborns
People: Recruiting, training, and managing a competent staff capable of properly assisting
Products: Making the top 10 life-saving drugs and equipment available for mothers and newborns
Power: Empowering young women, mothers, and families to demand and receive quality care
These issues will not be fixed overnight, the efforts put into this cause will not be unilateral either. Through cooperation, governments and institutions can chip away at this issue. Progress- albeit slow -is preferable to inaction. #AwarenessWednesday
For more information: https://www.unicef.org/every-child-alive
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