Efforts to reduce child mortality have been a national and global policy concern for a long time and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) expressly establish that reducing deaths in the first 28 days of life (neonatal mortality) to below 12 deaths per 1,000 live births is a global health target. In Kenya, reducing neonatal mortality from an average 22/1,000 live births is part of the government’s efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), as neonatal mortality now contributes around 45% of all under-five deaths.
Globally it has been estimated that over 60% of neonatal deaths might be prevented by good quality, basic hospital care. However, in Nairobi City County where neonatal mortality is 39/1,000 live births there is little data on where inpatient neonatal care is provided and whether it is good quality. Researchers at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust working with expert groups and multiple partners started the Health Services that Deliver for Newborns (HSDN) project to provide this information.