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This blog was originally published by Save the Children UK

In the 1940s the British government created a Welfare State that promised to look after citizens from the “cradle to the grave”. This outlined a commitment to provide universal health coverage to all people, regardless of wealth, from the first moment of life until the last.

Unequal life chances

Returning home to the UK from the first Global Newborn Conference in South Africa, I was reminded of how unequal the survival chances of babies are because of where they happen to be born.

Last year, 3 million babies died in the first month of life. Around half of these deaths occurred on the very first day, and 2.6 million more babies were stillborn.

In the 21st century it is unacceptable that so many babies die.

Different standards

Almost all of these deaths happen in low and middle-income countries. More specifically, they happen in the poorest and most marginalised communities and where mothers have lower levels of education.

But if we applied the knowledge we have been using for decades in high-income countries to prevent newborn deaths, almost all of these babies could have survived.

If a woman becomes pregnant in the UK, she has access to skilled health workers who provide the care she needs before, during and after childbirth.

At the time of childbirth, if there are complications for the mother or baby, specialist health workers and equipment are available.

All services are provided free at the point of use so the cost of health care doesn’t deter the mother from seeking care as soon as she needs it.

A high quality of care is expected, and if it is not provided we have a right to complain. If a mother or child dies then it is perceived as the exception, even unacceptable.

Changing attitudes

These things we take for granted in countries like the UK are not the norm in all parts of the world.

Where newborn death rates are high, where quality services are not available, there is too often a sense of acceptance that this is just the way things are.

The vision of EVERY ONE, Save the Children’s global campaign for child survival, is that no child under the age of five should die from preventable causes, and that public attitudes will not tolerate unnecessary child deaths.

A global newborn action plan

That is why we are getting behind a Global Newborn Action Plan that will catalyse action to end preventable newborn deaths as part of wider efforts to improve the health of women and children.

On 7 May, Save the Children will be publishing our annual State of the World’s Mothers report, which will show the countries where babies have the best and worst chances of surviving their first day, and where we need to focus our energies.

Click here to find out more about the Global Newborn Action Plan and how you can contribute.

Photo: Save the Children. This blog was originally published by Save the Children's EVERY ONE Campaign. Written by Steve Haines. 

Late last year the Ugandan Parliamentary Committee on Health declared ‘a crisis in human resources for health’.  The country has around half the health workforce it needs.  They refused to sign the health budget until something was done to address the shortage in health workers with midwifery skills in Uganda.  Concessions were made, but still the health budget is far short of what’s needed.
 

In a district clinic in the town of Jinja we saw just how important ‘human resources for health’ are.  We met Florence, a midwife, who showed us the skills she was taught by Save the Children’s Saving Newborn Lives program and partners, under Uganda's ‘Helping Babies Breathe’ initiative.  Using simple procedures and resuscitation equipment Florence is saving newborn babies’ lives every day, and reducing the staggering number of deaths caused each year by complications like birth asphyxia, one of the three leading causes of newborn death.  It was humbling to see how much could be done by Florence with the right equipment and the right training.
 


The challenge Uganda faces is that there are not enough Florences to go around.  When trained health workers are there, they face long hours, work without enough of the right equipment, in facilities that are often inadequate. Access to quality health services remains a problem for many Ugandans, and pregnant mothers still often turn to inadequately trained traditional birth attendants to deliver their babies.  
 


The loss of life of these mothers and children is a tragedy every day, but it doesn’t make the headlines – or even the bylines. We spoke to the Editor of a national newspaper who told us that we needed a new way of talking about the issue that inspired action.  Everyone we spoke to had a story to tell about a friend or relative who they had lost in childbirth or a baby’s life that was never lived. These stories went beyond the statistics and showed the need for a sustained campaign, building a case for investing in health services.
 


We spoke to Members of Parliament who are passionate campaigners for saving the lives of mothers and children about what needed to be done.  They told us that while progress has been made, the response to the challenge was still being spread too thinly across too many issues.  They told us to prioritise and to push for change.
 


There’s a powerful platform forming with partners who are committed to addressing the problem.  And it’s not just the NGOs: the private sector, Government and members of the media are engaged with the challenge.
 


So where do we start?  Well I’d say: start with Florence.  We need more, well trained, well-resourced health workers in Uganda. We also need to recognize excellence against all odds and encourage and support more champions for mothers and newborns.
 


We need a movement that can support those advocates trying make this happen.  We need the evidence and the messages that make the case and can inspire action.  And we need to continue to demonstrate how these lives can be saved.
 


Uganda has a bold vision of becoming a prosperous country by 2030.  A healthy mother and a healthy child is the very bedrock of a productive society.  Safely delivered children, healthy mothers, protection from disease and a good diet all add up to a healthy population that can drive this vision.  
 


While I was in Uganda, discussions were underway on the next Budget.  More money is not the only answer - a large proportion of the health services are delivered by private and not for profit organisations - but it’s a start.  For health workers like Florence it’s the way they will get their job done.  And for the poorest mothers in Uganda it’s a lifeline.