KATHMANDU, Nepal–Over 12,000 babies die annually during childbirth or within the first day of life in Nepal, a children’s aid agency says.
A report unveiled by Save the Children, an agency working in the sector of women and children, shows due to lack of skilled midwife, as many as 460,000 mother give birth each year at home which results the death of 12,000 babies.
The new report – Ending Newborn Deaths – shows one half of first day deaths around the world could be prevented if the mother and baby had acquired free healthcare and the service of mid-wife.
“It’s criminal that many of these 12,000 deaths annually in Nepal could be averted simply by having someone around to make sure the birth took place”, the report said.
Globally, 40 million women around the world are deprived from essential health care support while deliver their babies and 2.2 million children die each year during childbirth or within the first day of life.
David Wright, country director for Save the Children in Nepal said that too many mothers give birth without any skilled help. “Despite impressive progress in child health, one-in-47 children in Nepal are still dying daily during childbirth or in its first day of life” David said.
With an aim to save millions of newborn lives, Save the Children has called on world leaders to commit in 2014 to a outline for change – The five point newborn promise – which focuses on training and equipping enough skilled health workers to make sure that no baby is born without proper help, and removing fees for all pregnancy and birth services.