Customized strategy key to lower maternal and child mortality

The health officials and experts began deliberating strategies and interventions on Tuesday to address gaps in quality and equitable health services and further accelerate the reduction of maternal, newborn, and child deaths in the WHO South-East Asia Region.

"The region has made significant gains in mortality reduction, but progress within countries has been uneven. We must adopt a differential approach to further reduce maternal, newborn, and child mortality based on their contextual priorities, available resources, and new WHO guidelines and standards," said Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia.

At the four-day regional meeting on 'Sustain, Accelerate, and Innovate Strategies' for reducing maternal, new-born, and child mortality, national and subnational programme managers, experts, WHO collaborating centres, partner agencies, and WHO officials, besides reviewing the situation, will also contribute to the regional strategy being developed for improving newborn and child health, according to a press release by WHO SEA.

While the regional averages for evidence-based high-impact interventions across the reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH) life course have increased over the past decade, they are yet to reach the universal coverage levels of 90 percent or more.

Also, some indicators have not changed over time, such as 65 percent of women accessing postnatal contact with a health care provider within two days after birth and less than half of newborns getting breastfed within the first hours of birth.