Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh is facing significant challenges in maternal and newborn care, according to new reports released by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).
While progress has been made since 1990, the country continues to record the highest rate of stillbirths in South Asia, demanding immediate and scaled-up interventions, a press release said on Thursday.
The UN IGME child mortality report highlights that over 100,000 children in Bangladesh died before their fifth birthday in 2023, with nearly two-thirds of these casualties occurring within the first 28 days of life.
The second report, focused on stillbirths, indicates that Bangladesh records over 63,000 stillbirths annually, equating to 1 in every 41 births resulting in a stillbirth – the highest in South Asia.
To meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related target, Bangladesh must save an additional 28,000 newborns each year, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced maternal and newborn care.
“Over 100,000 newborns in Bangladesh die yearly from preventable causes such as premature birth, complications during delivery, and infections like sepsis and pneumonia, a violation of their basic right to survive and thrive,” said Farook Adrian Doomun, UNICEF Representative OIC in Bangladesh.
