ISLAMABAD: A recent report by United Nations (jointly released from London, Geneva and Newyork on Wednesday) and its partner has a shocking revelation stating that more than 150 million babies were born preterm in the last decade. Preterm birth happens to have birth before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. The report further revealed that out of 10 babies, one baby was born preterm and every 40 seconds, one of the preterm babies died.
The report further maintained that about 13.4 million babies were born preterm only in 2020, adding that the recent impact of climate change, conflicts, and Covid-19 has manifold the risk for women and babies across the globe.
The UN and its partner agencies (WHO, UNICEF, others) called upon for immediate action to improve the prevention of preterm birth, alongside better care for affected babies, mothers and their families.
The report termed preterm birth as the leading cause of death in babies, where more than one out of 5 all death occurs before their fifth birthday. And those (preterm) who manage to survive are vulnerable to lifelong health issues, including disability and other complications. It not only affects the babies and their families but has an unending impact on the overall communities and the economies.
Preterm babies born in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa
The UN report stated that, no doubt, the problem prevails everywhere, from developed to underdeveloped countries; however, the situation in poor countries is more dismal. It added that “Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rates of preterm birth, and preterm babies in these regions face the highest mortality risk. Together, these two regions contribute to more than 65% of preterm births globally”.
While tracing the causes of preterm birth, the report revealed that maternal health risks, such as adolescent pregnancy and pre-eclampsia(a type of high blood pressure happens after 20th week of pregnancy or after giving birth), are closely linked to the issue. This emphasizes the need to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health services. It includes effective family planning, with high-quality care during pregnancy, before, during and after birth.
Cautionary Measures and Action
To minimize the risk of preterm births, WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and PMNCH advised the following actions:
Increased investments: Mobilizing international and domestic resources to optimize newborn and maternal health, ensuring high-quality care is provided when and where it is required.
Accelerated implementation: Meeting country targets for progress via implementing established national policies for maternal and newborn care.
Integration across sectors: Promoting education through the life cycle, supporting smarter economic investments, with co-financing across different sectors, strengthening climate adaptation responses across the life course, and advancing the coordination and resilience of emergency systems.
Locally driven innovation: Investing in locally driven innovation and research to support improvements in quality of care and equity in access.
It is worth mentioning here that in Pakistan, along with other shortcomings mentioned in the report, mostly the parents are complaining about the rapid tendency of C-Sections where mostly the gynaecologists opt for C-Section before the due date instead of normal delivery just to earn more money, which is one major concern of preterm birth. A PhD Doctor, Ashraf Ali, from Islamabad, has the same reservations adding that he has already shared his concern with the health regulatory body in Islamabad. He added that it is unfortunate that whenever a pregnant mother feels some issue, the doctors, despite resolving the issue, opt for immediate C-Section and, after delivery, shift the newborn to the ventilator to get more money.
The report also included comments from some leading health experts from around the world who added their valuable input on preterm birth and the report.
The complete report could be traced as: https://www.borntoosoonaction.org/
