Summary At least 4,41,000 newborn died in Pakistan in 2016 before reaching the age of one year.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination informed National Assembly during Questions Hour that infant mortality rate in Pakistan has increased alarmingly high and reached 7 percent.
According to the Ministry of National Health Services, 6.3 million children were born in Pakistan in 2016 out of which 4,41,000 newborn died before reaching the age of one year.
The ministry further informed that at least 2,90,000 newborn die before the end of their first month while 1,76,400 die annually due to premature birth.
The health ministry further revealed that 21 percent newborn die due to suffocation after their birth while 18 percent deaths are caused by infection.
It is pertinent to mention here that the United Nations children’s agency has declared Pakistan as the riskiest country for newborns, saying that out of every 1,000 babies born in Pakistan, 46 die before the end of their first month.
UNICEF released the findings last month as part of its global awareness campaign to demand and deliver solutions on behalf of the world’s newborns.
Pregnant women are much less likely to receive assistance during delivery in Pakistan, where 14 skilled health professionals are available for every 10,000 people, according to the report.
It acknowledged the percentage of mothers who give birth in a health facility in Pakistan increased from 21 percent to 48 percent between 2001 and 2013. It also noted the proportion of women giving birth with a skilled attendant during the same period more than doubled from 23 percent to 55 percent.
“But despite these remarkable increases, largely the result of rapid urbanization and the proliferation of private sector providers not subject to satisfactory oversight, Pakistan’s very high newborn mortality rate fell by less than one quarter, from 60 in 2000 to 46 in 2016,” according to UNICEF’s findings.
