JOHANNESBURG (IPS) — Every year, three million newborn babies and almost 6.6 million children under five die globally, but if the rest of the world looked towards the examples of two of Africa’s least-developed countries (LDCs), Rwanda and Ethiopia, they would perhaps be able to save these children.
At the 2014 Partners’ Forum being held in Johannesburg, South Africa from Jun. 30 to Jul. 2 – hosted by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), the South African government and other partners – significant commitments in finance, service delivery and policy were announced that could put an end to these deaths. In total, there were 40 commitments from stakeholders, governments and the private sector who are committed to ending child and maternal mortality were revealed at the forum today.
It was noted that while remarkable progress has been made in reducing maternal and child mortality rates globally, over the last two decades the reduction in the rates of newborn deaths has lagged behind considerably.
Africa’s Fast-Track Countries That Have Made Significant Progress in Saving Women and Children
ETHIOPIA
•Reduced under-five mortality by 47 percent between 2000 and 2011 to from 166 to 88 per 1,000 live births
•Although Ethiopia still has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Africa it has reduced by 22 percent from 871 in 2000 to 676 per 100,000 live births in 2011
•Expanded community-based primary care for women and children through the deployment of close to 40,000 Health Extension Workers
•Achieved near parity in school attendance by 2008/09: at 90.7 percent for girls and 96.7 percent for boys from 20.4 percent and 31.7 percent respectively in 1994/1995
RWANDA
•Achieved under-five mortality reduction of 50 percent between 1992 and 2010 from 151 to 76 per 1,000 live births
•Reduced maternal mortality by 22 percent from 611 to 476 per 100,000 births between 1992 and 2010 (and by 55 percent from 2000 to 2010 from an increase to 1,071 to 476 per 100,000 live births)
•Increased coverage of skilled birth attendance from 31 percent in 2000 to 69 percent in 2010
•In 2013, women constituted 64 percent of parliamentarians, the highest percent in the world
*Sources for all statistics are official national data, and international data, as agreed at country multistakeholder policy reviews.
However, Rwanda and Ethiopia were among 10 countries across the globe listed as having made significant progress in reducing child and maternal mortality rates, according to a new global action plan launched at the forum.
The Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) provides evidence on the effective interventions needed to end preventable stillbirths and newborn deaths. It also outlines a strategy to prevent 2,9 million newborn deaths and 2,6 million stillbirths annually.
These countries invested in high-impact health interventions, including immunisation, family planning, education and good governance.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs, told IPS that multi-sectoral investments, and not just direct investments in the health sector, would help reduce maternal and child mortality.
“If we don’t invest in agriculture, water and sanitation as well as the health sector then any gains we make in reducing child and maternal mortality will be futile.
“Community-based health care workers helped reduced Ethiopia’s mortality rates for mothers and children.”
According to the ENAP, newborn deaths account for 44 percent of all under five deaths worldwide, and investments in quality care at birth could save the lives of three million women and children each year.
“Now is the time to focus on action and implementation, to ensure more lives are saved,” said Graça Machel, co-chair of the PMNCH.
“Other countries have made progress and others have not, we need to learn from them, so we keep momentum.”
Accompanying the launch of the ENAP, was the launch of Countdown to 2015 report titled “Fulfilling the Health Agenda for Women and Children”, which serves as a scorecard of gains made in maternal and child health.
According to the report, which studied the progress of 75 countries in child and maternal mortality efforts, substantial inequities still persist.
“The theme of the Countdown report is ‘unfinished business,’” said Machel. “Too many women and children are dying when simple treatment exists.”
Over 71 percent of newborn deaths could be avoided without intensive care, and are usually a result of three preventable conditions; prematurity, birth complications and severe infections.
“Community-based approaches, where governments bring health services to the people and people to the services, have shown to be effective,” she told IPS.
