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Cracking the whip on childhood mortality--role of the specialized neonatal unit in Eritrea
O Zemichael1, P Nyarang'o, J Mufunda
1Department of Neonatology, Orotta Paediatric Hospital, Orotta School of Medicine, Asmara, Eritrea.
Insights
Reducing neonatal mortality is crucial for achieving global childhood mortality reduction goals. Addressing the health needs of newborns is key to lowering infant death rates in developing nations.
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Pediatrics
- Developing Country Health Systems
Background:
- Developing countries face significant challenges with high childhood mortality rates.
- While infant mortality has decreased due to vaccinations and improved living standards, neonatal mortality remains a critical issue.
- The Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) for reducing childhood mortality is unlikely to be met without targeted interventions for newborns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the critical need for interventions focused on reducing neonatal mortality in developing countries.
- To emphasize that achieving global child mortality reduction targets hinges on addressing newborn health.
- To share experiences from Eritrea regarding health system challenges and their impact on neonatal care.
Main Methods:
- This viewpoint is based on experiences from Eritrea, a nation rebuilding its infrastructure after prolonged conflict.
- The abstract discusses the socio-political and environmental context of Eritrea, including its population, geography, and recent history.
- It frames the discussion within the broader context of global health and the Millennium Development Goals.
Main Results:
- Neonatal mortality is identified as the primary bottleneck preventing the achievement of MDG 4.
- The abstract implies that current healthcare strategies are insufficient to tackle the specific morbidities affecting neonates.
- The context of Eritrea illustrates the compounded difficulties faced by developing nations in improving health outcomes due to conflict and resource scarcity.
Conclusions:
- Achieving the Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) on childhood mortality reduction is contingent upon effectively addressing neonatal morbidities.
- Focusing interventions on the neonatal period is essential to overcome the current challenges in reducing overall childhood mortality.
- Targeted strategies for newborn health are imperative for progress in global child survival.
Unlabelled:
Health care services in developing countries are being challenged by high childhood mortality rates. Although there have been tremendous strides made in reducing infant mortality rates largely due to vaccinations and improved standards of living, a lot remains to be done to reduce neonatal mortality. Achievement of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number 4 on childhood mortality will remain unattainable in most developing countries unless purpose based interventions targeted at reducing neonatal mortality are instituted. This viewpoint is based on the experiences gained in Eritrea, a country that gained independence less than twenty years ago following a protracted war that left a trail of destruction of infrastructure in general and health facilities in particular. War that broke out with Ethiopia less than 10 years into its independence and border conflicts followed by a no peace no war stalemate situation aggravated by frequent droughts have continued to throttle economic recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitative efforts. The population is estimated at 3.5 million comprising of nine ethnic groups who speak different languages. The country has a surface area of 124,000 km2 which shares borders with Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Red Sea.
Conclusion:
Attainment of the MDG number 4 on reduction of childhood mortality can be achieved by addressing morbidities of the neonate where the bottle neck currently appears to be sited.
