DTMT Network
GENEVA: About 30 million sick and premature babies need quality care to survive, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) with association of UNICEF.

Omar Abdi, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, said, “When it comes to newborns and their mothers, the right treatment at the right time in the right place can make all the difference.”

The UNICEF official stated, “So far millions of small and sick newborns and women are dying every year because they simply do not receive the quality treatment that is their right and our collective responsibility.”

The report finds that among the newborns most at risk of death and disability are those with complications from prematurity, brain injury during childbirth, severe bacterial infection or jaundice, and those with congenital conditions.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Deputy Director General for Programmes at WHO, said, “For every woman, a healthy start from pregnancy through childbirth and the first months after birth is necessary.”

She stated, “Progress on babies' healthcare is a win-win situation – it saves lives and is significant for early child's development, thus impacting families, society, and future generations of the country.”

Without specialized treatment, many at-risk newborns won’t survive their first month of life, according to the report. In 2017, some 2.5 million newborns died, mostly from preventable causes.