Newborn Deaths in India Can Be Averted by 2030 with Stronger Health Systems

Tech2 India HNN Team

In December 2018, the Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) was released in India, with efforts and contributions from many stakeholders involved in maternal and child care. The plan brought alarming statistics on newborn care to the forefront. Over 30 million babies are born too soon, too small or become sick every year and need specialized … Continued

500 years after Leonardo da Vinci wondered why babies are born preterm, we still have no idea

Quartz HNN Team

In one of his texts in his Trattato della Pittura (Treatise on Painting), Leonardo da Vinci set out to understand the functioning of the human body in order to be able to draw it correctly, from the inside out. Among the aspects da Vinci wanted to understand were “[w]hat forces [the fetus] out from the … Continued

To avoid stillbirths, women in Kenya bribe overworked doctors

Al Jazeera Kenya HNN Team

Nairobi, Kenya – After Anne Khasakalla suffered two stillbirths in 2014 and 2015, she looked for a solution that would provide her with better healthcare. Friends told her that pregnant women in Kenya have to pay bribes to doctors and nurses to escape long queues of mothers waiting to deliver their babies. “During my first … Continued

This doctor built a portable machine to save newborn babies from dying of jaundice across rural India

YourStory India HNN Team

The first article on our #StartupBharat series shines the spotlight on innovations from Tier II and III cities and towns across India. This week, we feature Dr Kiran Kanthi of Lifetron Innov Equipments. The startup, incubated at Sandbox Startups in Hubli, Karnataka, has built a portable, affordable solution to treat jaundice in newborns. It has … Continued

Better birth: Labour Ward project improves a community health centre in India

M4ID India HNN Team

In December, M4ID and partners inaugurated a new and enhanced Basta community health centre in Odisha, India. Final strokes of paint, last few screws tightened, new carpets rolled out, a final sweeping of the floors – and a hug! In December, product design lead Nicolas Flittner had an exciting trip to Balasore district in Odisha, … Continued

Unnecessary referrals from districts causing death of newborns

Dawn Pakistan HNN Team

PESHAWAR: Unnecessary referral of newborns from district hospitals coupled with shortage of equipment and trained staff in Peshawar-based teaching hospitals have been causing deaths of preventable ailments, according to sources. Paediatricians say that 16 per cent of the neonates die at nursery ward of Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), 30 per cent at Lady Reading Hospital … Continued

‘No woman has died here while having a baby and that is a big achievement’

Irish Times HNN Team

Baby Matin is less than five hours old when we meet. Matin’s mother Maran gingerly lifts her baby, swaddled in bundles of soft blankets, from the cot to show her to the group of well-wishers gathered by the end of the bed. The 27-year-old already has three sons – two were born in the sprawling … Continued

All mothers and newborns must get equitable health care

Hindustan Times India HNN Team

  Health care is not simply about treating disease. It is about promoting a complete state of physical, mental, and social well being. This requires a comprehensive approach, spanning a continuum of care from pregnancy and childhood, to adolescence, and finally adulthood. Nowhere is this more important than for the health of girls and women, … Continued

Namibia: 208 Babies Die At Oshakati

All Africa HNN Team

Forty-eight hours – that is how long most newborn babies survive at the Oshakati State Hospital in the Oshana region. At least 150 premature babies out of more than 1 000 who are either admitted or born at the Oshakati State Hospital yearly do not survive. This year alone, the hospital recorded 208 neonatal deaths … Continued

Is India’s Healthcare System Failing Premature Babies Even Before They Are Born?

First Post India HNN Team

An estimated 15 million babies are born too early every year, or in other words, preterm (before 37 completed weeks of gestation). That is more than 1 in 10 babies. Approximately 1 million children die each year due to complications of preterm birth. Many survivors face a lifetime of disability, including learning disabilities and visual … Continued