As many as 12,000 babies in Vietnam die each year during childbirth or on the first day, putting the country one of six in Southeast Asia for having a high rate of infant and maternal mortality, Save the Children, a leading U.S. charitable organization, said in its report. In a bid to change the situation, Save the Children has called on world leaders, including those in Vietnam, to commit in 2014 to a blueprint for change with the five-point promise to newborns with focus on training and equipping health workers with enough skilled. The move is aimed at ensuring that no baby is born without proper help, and removing fees for all pregnancy and birth services, the organization said in the report entitled Ending Newborn Deaths released on Feb 25. Save the Children said that up to half of the global newborns deaths could be prevented if the mother and baby had free healthcare and a skilled midwife. “We should continue our work to achieve even better health services so no child dies from preventable causes,” said Gunnar Andersen, country director for Save the Children in Vietnam. Many of the maternal mortality cases in Vietnam were blamed on the irresponsibility of medical staffs. (Savethechildren.net Feb 25)
