<i>Study shows decrease in newborn mortality but calls for more action</i>
The number of newborns dying in Bangladesh has decreased — falling from 57 to 30 deaths per 1000 births in 2009, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the World Health Organisation, Save the Children and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
However, experts say more action is needed to keep declines in newborn mortality on track and reach Millennium Development Goal 4, a two thirds reduction in child mortality.
Programme Manager of Save the Children's Saving Newborn Lives initiative Dr Sayed Rubayat said, "We know that solutions as simple as — skilled attendance at birth, keeping newborns warm, exclusive breastfeeding and early postnatal care can keep them alive; but we need more well-trained front line health workers to implement these lifesaving practices."
Dr Joy Lawn of Save the Children's Saving Newborn Lives programme pointed out that the global health worker crisis is the biggest factor in the deaths of mothers and children, and particularly the 3.3 million newborns dying needlessly each year.
Training more midwives and more community health workers will allow many more lives to be saved-expert pointed out.
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