Poor healthcare access afflicts babies, moms in Asia and the world

February 10, 2023

According to a report by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), there were approximately five million under-five (children under the age of five) deaths in 2021. About 1.9 million babies were stillborn during the same time period, according to a separate report. The heartbreaking story behind these statistics is that these deaths could have been avoided. Based on the reports, there is a lack of equitable access to maternal and child care.

South Asia accounted for 26% of global under-five deaths in 2021, trailing Sub-Saharan Africa, which accounted for 56% of total deaths during the same period. Meanwhile, stillbirths in these two regions accounted for 77% of all stillbirths in 2021.

Again, both mothers and babies must have efficient access to high-quality medical care. According to experts, ensuring the availability of high-quality care during pregnancy and childbirth could reduce the number of infant deaths. According to the report, the majority of child fatalities happen in the first five years of life, with half of those occurring in the first month of life.

Premature birth and complications during labor are the leading causes of death for these infants. Likewise, during labor, more than 40% of stillbirths occur. Infectious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, and malaria pose the greatest threat to children who survive their first 28 days.

Meanwhile, according to a 2019 UNICEF report, impoverished mothers, especially in poor countries, continue to lack access to maternal health care, preventing them from having healthy pregnancies. Every year, more than five million families in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean need to allocate more than 40% of their non-food household expenses on maternal health services, according to UNICEF data.

Nearly two-thirds of these households, or approximately three million, are in Asia, with the remaining 1.9 million in Africa. With budget constraints blighting impoverished households, pregnant women are deemed to bear additional financial burdens by receiving antenatal care and delivery services.

Despite significant improvements in women’s access to maternal services around the world, the number of deaths related to pregnancy-related complications was still rising, according to the report. Pregnancy complications are the leading cause of death for teen mothers aged 15 to 19 years worldwide.

A collaborative effort from all stakeholders is required to ensure the safety of mothers and their babies.

According to Juan Pablo Uribe, World Bank Global Director for Health, Nutrition, and Population and Director of the Global Financing Facility, “sustained financing for primary health care is one of the best investments countries and development partners can make”.

On the other hand, UNICEF recommended making community-level investments in health systems; hiring, training, and retaining a sufficient number of medical and healthcare professionals knowledgeable in providing care for pregnant women and newborns; setting up functional health facilities and supplying life-saving medications and medical equipment; and empowering adolescent women and their families to demand and receive high-quality care.

SOURCES: https://www.unicef.org/rosa/press-releases/three-children-or-youth-died-every-minute-south-asia-2021-un-report

https://asiapacific.unfpa.org/en/news/maternal-mortality-asia-pacific-5-key-facts

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