So much for the government "doing something"

[The_Right_Honourable_Brit]

Source: IOL - Health

Johannesburg - Opportunities For Africa's Newborns indicated that half of the reported 1,16 million deaths occurred in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. Nigeria alone had over 255 000 newborn deaths a year.

Most of these children died nameless as in Africa babies were traditionally not named until the sixth week after birth.

"Africa's child mortality now is similar to that of England in the beginning of the 20th century, or Sweden at the start of the 19th century. So we are way behind," said Dr Francisco Songane, director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
* * * *

The report indicated that up to 800 000 babies a year could be saved if 90 percent of women and babies received these interventions. They came at a cost of $1,39 (about R10) per capita or $1-billion a year. This would also benefit the one million stillborn babies and 250 000 mothers who died each year.

Lawn said Africa did not suffer from a lack of policy.

"I think the risk is that we have lots of road maps and commitment, but how do we translate this into action?"

Lawn said South Africa's neonatal mortality rate of 21 deaths per 1 000 births - about half the average for Africa - hid a lot of inequities as the rate was high in some, particularly rural, areas of the country and low in others.

According to the report: "There has been virtually no progress in reducing - South Africa's -newborn death rate in the last 10 years. This lack of progress is an important barrier to meeting child survival targets, especially for the Millennium Development Goals."

Lawn commented: "I think in a country... with such resources... there should be progress, but it doesn't seem to be on the agenda".

 

[vespax]

Scandalous!!!

 

[kilo39]

Interesting article on this subject a few weeks ago:

A recent report revealed that Sweden is the best place in the world to give birth, and Niger the worst. Joanna Moorhead visited both. She was shocked not only by the vast differences in the quality of care women and babies receive, but also by how easily things could be put right
Different planets Tues Oct 3, 06

 

[IamCanadian]

Most of these children died nameless as in Africa babies were traditionally not named until the sixth week after birth.

Interesting line from article.

Is this indicative of Africa being what it is? If it is a tradition, how did this tradition come about? Could it be that (darkest) Africa has always expected that it would be useless to name their babies because so many die so early?

Sad.