FLORENCE, South Carolina — At a recent forum entitled “Acting on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths,” the United States Agency for International Development unveiled a new plan to save the lives of 15 million children and nearly 600,000 women. Set with a deadline goal of 2020, these reformative efforts are supported by UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other partner organizations. The new plan will help reduce child and maternal deaths throughout the world.
In 2012, the governments of Ethiopia, India and the United States urged the world to address the issue of maternal, newborn and child deaths. They started a global movement called “Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed,” which has been endorsed by over 170 governments and hundreds of civil society and private sector organizations.
Motivated by the initiative, many countries have showed their commitment to women and children by implementing practical methods. Nearly 100 million children’s lives were saved in the last 20 years, and the annual number of child deaths decreased from 12.6 million in 1990 to 6.6 million in 2012. With the support of its partners, USAID has helped reduce the maternal mortality ratio and the number of newborn deaths in 24 priority countries. Six of the 24 countries have reached the Millennium Development 4 – reducing child mortality – ahead of schedule.
During recent years, African nations have decreased the mortality rate of children under 5 years old by 53 percent. However, Ethiopian Minister of Health Kesetebirhan Admasu has stated that the reduction is not enough because the persistence of child mortality is “an urgent reminder for us to intensify our efforts.”
USAID’s new efforts will target nations with historically high death rates for mothers and their children – including Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In total, these nations account for about half of early childhood deaths around the world. With a focus on these areas, USAID’s reform proposal will expand current efforts to improve newborn health, immunization practices and prevention and treatment of childhood illnesses. USAID will also increase access to life-saving commodities for family planning (long-lasting contraceptives), maternal health (oxytocin and magnesium sulfate), newborn health (chlorhexidine, antenatal corticosteroid, injectable antibiotics, and resuscitation equipment) and children’s health (amoxicillin, oral rehydration salts, and zinc).
A supplemental campaign, “Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality: USAID’s Maternal Health Vision For Action,” will soon be launched as well. By 2030, USAID hopes to reduce the maternal mortality ratio to a global average of less than 70 per 100,000 live births. If the initiative is successful, the average ratio could drop to less than 50 per 100,000 live births by 2035.
Planning to spend $2.9 billion towards the action plan, USAID has urged the international community to “realize a world where every child everywhere lives to celebrate his or her fifth birthday and no woman dies as a result of pregnancy or childbirth.” Much progress has been made towards saving the lives of children and mothers around the world, but more can be done. Fortunately, the issue will remain a global priority through USAID’s upcoming initiatives.
– Kristy Liao
Sources: allAfrica, USAID, Voice of America
Photo: Arzouni