Bangladesh on track to achieve MDG on child survival

from the Daily Star

Bss, Dhaka

Bangladesh is very much 'on track' to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 on child survival, but is far away from the target of reducing maternal deaths -- the goal 5 of the United Nations set for 2015, according to a report available here yesterday.

The 2008 report titled 'Tracking Progress in Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival' was released at the 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in South Africa on Thursday.

The mortality rate of children under five years has come down at 69 per thousand in 2006 from 149 in 1990, marking a 4.8 percent average annual reduction, which is slightly over the final target to achieve the mortality at 50 by 2015.

The maternal mortality ratio, however, remained 570 per 100,000 lives, indicating a very high ratio of mother deaths in Bangladesh. According to the study, one in 51 women were at lifetime risk of death up to 2005 in the country, said the report prepared by the United Nations after reviewing progress in 68 countries.

Successful immunisation coupled with vitamin-A supplementation has been found to be the key factors reducing mortality of children. The report also suggested gearing up the existing programmes with proper nutritional support for further reduction in child mortality.

The highest number of delivery at home by unskilled or semiskilled birth attendants has been identified as the main culprit for high maternal deaths in Bangladesh. Majority of women die of haemorrhage followed by anaemia, hypertensive disorders, obstructed labour and abortion. More than 21,000 mothers died in 2005, said the report.

Parliamentarians attending the 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Cape Town joined the global health experts and policymakers to discuss the role they can play in accelerating the action to achieve goal 4 and 5 of MDGs.

Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar is attending the assembly.

Over 10 million women and children still die each year from causes that are largely preventable and treatable. The majority of maternal and child deaths occur in Africa and South Asia, with Sub-Saharan Africa's burden increasing.

The report, using the existing country data, highlighted the rapid progress that many of the 68 countries are making in providing vaccinations, vitamin-A supplementation and insecticide-treated mosquito nets to prevent major killers such as measles and malaria.

The report also identified a number of missed opportunities that need urgent attention. These include reduction in unmet need for modern contraceptives now being used only by one-third of women, increase of skilled care at birth, access to quality clinical care for sick children and improving nutritional status through poverty reduction.

Nutrition has been found to be the underlying cause of 3.5 million child deaths annually, and as many as 20 percent of maternal deaths.

Despite the missed opportunities, the report also notes that a number of countries, including China, Haiti and Turkmenistan, have made substantial progress in reducing deaths of under-five children in the past three years.

Sixteen of the 68 priority countries, including Bangladesh, are now 'on track' to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4.

The report findings show poor families missing out skilled care at birth and clinical care for newborns and children when they are ill. Other barriers include armed conflict and a high HIV prevalence, which together have erased gains in child survival in at least 12 African countries.