12,000 newborns die every year in Vietnam

12,000 newborns die every year in Vietnam With about 12,000 newborn deaths a year, Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest number of maternal and child mortalities in the world, said an international report.

According to the “Ending Newborn Deaths” report announced by US-based international charity organization Save the Children on Wednesday, Vietnam and five other South East Asian countries – Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines – are among the 75 countries with highest maternal and child deaths.

However, compared to these five countries, Vietnam has the lowest maternal and neonatal mortality during childbirth and on the first day newborns life, the report said.

Of the total number of midwifes in Vietnam, 91.9 percent are assessed as skillful, while in Laos the rate is only 37 percent.

The budget spent by the Vietnamese Government on medical expenses is US$93.39 per capita per year, higher than the lowest rate set by the World Health Organization.

The figure is higher than those of a number of countries in South East Asia. For example, it is only $3.61 in Laos.

Country Director of Save the Children in Vietnam, Gunnar Andersen, praised Vietnam for its significant progress in mother and child healthcare. However, he said, more efforts should be made to further improve medical services to ensure there will be no more children who die of preventable causes.

Save the Children also reported that about 2.2 million newborns die a year all over the world.

A half of the death toll could have be prevented if mothers and their babies would have been able to access to free medical services and experienced midwives, the report said.

Actions urged

Save the Children, which operates in more than 120 countries, called on world leaders, philanthropists and the private sector to commit to ending preventable newborn deaths by carrying out the following actions.

Firstly, Save the Children wants governments to issue declarations on ending preventable newborn mortality.

Secondly, they are required to ensure that by 2025, every birth is attended by trained and equipped health workers, and user fees for maternal and newborn health services are removed.

Thirdly, a commitment to spending at least $60 per capita on training maternity workers must be realized.

And lastly, pharmaceutical companies are expected to increase the availability of existing and new products for the poorest new mothers.

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