Saving mother and newborn lives
Toward integrated maternal neonatal and child health services to end preventable deaths
Challenges
Maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths are of major concern to the Government of Namibia. Hence, the goal of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) is to reduce the maternal mortality ratio to 200 per 100,000 live births and to reduce the neonatal mortality ratio to 10 per 1,000 by 2022.
Despite the high proportion of skilled birth attendants at birth (88%), neonatal mortality rate is high and stagnant at 20 per 1,000 live births. 50% of these deaths occur within the first 24 hours of birth and are mainly due to preventable condition such as prematurity, birth asphyxia, infection and/or sepsis.
Solutions
UNICEF supports the National “Every Newborn Action Plan”: A plan to end preventable newborn deaths in Namibia.
UNICEF also works with the government to improve the quality of care during labour, during childbirth and to prevent neonatal death.
The following strategic intervention package are employed:
- Care during labour and child birth
- Care for small and sick newborn;
- Care of healthy newborn;
- Immediate newborn care, which includes adoption of the Kangaroo Mother Care for low birth weight and preterm infants;
- Preconception and antenatal care