Current challenges in reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality in Thailand

Information on neonatal mortality and burden of illness during the neonatal period is an essential guide for prioritizing interventions for solving health problems and allocating resources.

To evaluate the burden of diseases and the current health situation among Thai neonates under the Universal Health Insurance Coverage Scheme.

The number of admissions according to mortality, length of hospital stay and cost of hospital charges during the neonatal period was analyzed.

There were 638,795 live births according to the data extracted from the three healthcare schemes supporting universal healthcare' in Thailand, which is lower than the data from the Health Information Unit of the Bureau of Health Policy and Strategy at the Ministry of Public Health. The neonatal death rate was 3.98 per 1,000 live births comprising 58.9% of all infant deaths. Major proportion of neonatal deaths (700%) occurred in early neonatal period and 43% of which occurred within the first two days of life. The leading causes of neonatal deaths were prematurity, respiratory problems, congenital malformation, birth asphyxia and infection. The most prevalent diagnosis for admissions was neonatal jaundice, disorders related to short gestation, respiratory disorders and neonatal infection.

More investment is required to improve education and implement health interventions that can be integrated into existing health systems for better neonatal outcomes.