Early years
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© UNICEF/ HQ03-0531/Thomas Kelly |
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In 2003 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a mother breastfeeds her newborn at a UNICEF-supported maternity hospital in Banja Luka. The hospital is one of 19 that have been certified 'baby-friendly' |
Fortunate newborn babies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) have the opportunity to enter this world in one of 19 baby-friendly hospitals. These maternity wards, certified by UNICEF and WHO, allow mothers to provide their newborns with the very first, critical, protection: their own breast milk. Not only is mother’s milk the best possible nutrition for babies, it also strengthenes the newsborn's immune system. The baby-friendly hospitals also fortify the bonding between mothers and babies through the “rooming-in practice”. This means that babies sleep next to their mothers, rather than being taken to a separate room.
When babies return home, they are given the family life and care they need to survive and develop, by their parents who have been educated at the UNICEF-supported parenting sessions.
Furthermore, babies born in these hospitals will be immunized against preventable diseases, and protected from iodine deficiency disorders. In case of need, the treatment expenses will be covered by the health insurance. Around half of the total number of maternity hospitals existing in BH have been supported by UNICEF and certified as "baby-friendly".
However, there is another face of young children’s reality in BIH:
- One fifth of children are not fully vaccinated.
- Although the under-five mortality rate is close to the Western European average there is a probability of underreporting.
- Only approximately 5 percent of infants aged 0-3 months are exclusively breastfed.
- Opportunities for early childhood educational development in families trained in parenting skills or through pre-schools are limited, particularly in rural areas.
- Some 90 percent of Roma children have no health insurance, and children of parents out of work or working without benefits also are not covered by insurance - this effectively excludes them from the health care system
- Estimated 50percent make uniform internally displaced persons and returnees still pay for their children’s healthcare.
A general feeling of insecurity and rising socio-economic pressure prevent young couples from enlarging their families. Manager of a maternity ward summarized this fact saying, “An abortion seems to be much more affordable than a baby”.
