Stakeholders discuss increasing newborn survival rates

When children are born, they need all the necessary attention to live and grow. This attention, according to the Minister of Health, Mr Alex Segbefia, can be achieved through optimum partnership between the private sector, the government and donor agencies.

Mr Segbefia made the statement when he opened a national newborn forum in Accra. He said those bodies needed to put in the necessary structures to ensure equitable delivery of quality health services to all pregnant women and newborns so as to increase their survival rate.

"When we invest in newborns, we are investing in the foundations of the future of this nation; help to create future entrepreneurs, skilled workforce, a stronger consumer base, as well as prosperous communities and equitable societies in the country," he added.

The forum, on the theme: "Born too soon, born too small; help us live", brought together a number of stakeholders in the health sector to discuss ways to accelerate quality healthcare services for preterm/low birth weight of newborns in the country.

Interventions

He noted that in spite of the implementation of several internationally recommended interventions, as well as local initiatives by the ministry, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and partners to promote child survival and development, Ghana could meet the 2015 target of reducing under-five mortality rate to 40 per 1,000 live births.

Mr Segbefia attributed the cause to the stagnation in neonatal mortality over the last five years with minimal decline from 30 to 29 per 1,000 live births.

The neonatal death rate is worse in the Volta, Brong Ahafo, Upper West, Northern and Upper East regions, according to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2011 and the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) 2008.

He explained that neonatal deaths had become an important component of under-five deaths because they accounted for 40 per cent of under-five mortality in the country. He stressed the need to halt these preventable deaths because every life counted.

Redoubling efforts

Mr Segbefia urged stakeholders to redouble their efforts to reduce the recorded rates of childhood deaths to bring smiles to Ghanaian homes, families and the nation as a whole.

He commended the national sub-committee for working consistently with various partners to coordinate the implementation of the newborn health strategy and action plan to improve child survival in the country.

In an address, a representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr Victor Ngongalah, who chaired the function, said the aim of the national newborn health strategy and action plan was to reduce neonatal deaths from 32 per 100 live births in 2011, to 21 per 100 live births in 2018 and also reduce the number of neonatal deaths which occurred in health facilities by at least 35 per cent by 2018.

Skilled attendants

These, Dr Ngongalah said, could be achieved by, among others, training at least 90 skilled attendants in the essential newborn care package by 2018, increasing the rate of early initiation of breastfeeding within an hour of birth from 45.9 per cent in 2011 to 80 per cent in 2018, as well as increasing the proportion of babies receiving the first postnatal visit within 48 hours from 56 per cent in 2011 to 90 per cent by 2018.

Dr Ngongalah said 75 per cent of all newborn deaths could easily be prevented or treated by simple and low-cost interventions that were all within their reach if only quality newborn care would be prioritised in the country.

He noted that what was needed currently was skilled human resource, equitably distributed nationwide to provide quality care to mothers and newborn babies, as well as breaking all the negative beliefs and harmful practices that were detrimental to the health and survival of the newborn child.

Dr Yaa Adoma Fokuo, a paediatrician from Dormaa Ahenkro, who spoke passionately about the worsening conditions at her hospital, appealed to the government and benevolent institutions to donate equipment and improve facilities at health care delivery centres, so as to increase the survival rate of newborns.