UNICEF launches worldwide campaign “Every Child Alive”

KATHMANDU, Feb. 21– UNICEF launched a worldwide campaign “Every
Child Alive” on Tuesday, to demand and deliver solutions on behalf of the
world’s newborns, along with a new report on newborn mortality.

Issuing a statement, UNICEF Nepal said in low-income countries, the average
newborn mortality rate is 27 deaths per 1,000 births. Newborns from the
riskiest places are up to 50 times more likely to die than those from the
safest places. According to the Nepal’s Demographic Health Survey 2016, 1
in 48 babies die in their first 28 days of life in the country, making up
to 13,000 newborn deaths every year in Nepal. More than 80 percent of
newborn deaths are due to prematurity, complications during birth or
infections such as pneumonia and sepsis, according to the report. “These
deaths can be prevented with access to well-trained midwives, along with
proven solutions like clean water, disinfectants, breastfeeding within the
first hour, skin-to-skin contact and good nutrition,” said the statement.

However, a shortage of well-trained health workers and midwives means that
thousands do not receive the life-saving support they need to survive.
While in Norway there are 218 doctors, nurses and midwives to serve 10,000
people, that ratio is 2.3 per 10,000 in Nepal, as per the report. Through
the new campaign, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to governments, health
care providers, donors, the private sector, families and businesses to keep
every child alive. According to UNICEF Nepal, the campaign will
complement the Nepali government’s commitments and efforts to reduce
newborn deaths and stillbirths through its 20-year Every Newborn Action
Plan launched in 2016. The Nepali government aims to reduce newborn
mortality to below 11 deaths per 1,000 live births and a stillbirth rate of
less than 13 per 1,000 total births by 2035 from the current rates of 23
and 18.4 respectively. – XINHUA