The 2006 Maputo Plan of Action aimed to help African nations to achieve the Millennium Development Goals related to reducing maternal mortality, combatting HIV and AIDS, and reducing infant and child mortality within integrated sexual and reproductive health care plans. In 2008 and 2009, UNFPA worked with senior Ministry of Health officials and national UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO teams in 33 African countries to review their development of national Maternal and Newborn Health strategies and plans through a self-assessment survey. The survey showed that many key components were missing, in particular there was poor integration of family planning; lack of budgetary, infrastructure and human resources plans; and weak monitoring and evaluation provisions. The maternal and newborn health Road Map initiative has been the single most important factor for the initiation and development of the national maternal and newborn health plans for many African countries. However the deficiencies within these national plans need to be addressed before a significant reduction in maternal and newborn mortality can realistically be achieved.
Every year over 3 million newborn babies die during their first month of life. Although the situation has improved greatly over the last two decades, survival beyond the neonatal period is still a challenge in resource-poor settings. When crude numbers are examined, most of these deaths occur in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but high neonatal mortality rates can be seen throughout the developing world, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Basic interventions are unavailable in many resource-poor settings. There is, however, a growing body of evidence which can guide clinicians and policymakers in these environments in the use of inexpensive, yet effective, interventions to help reduce the burden of neonatal mortality. It is estimated that effective implementation and high coverage of these interventions could prevent up to 70% of neonatal deaths globally.
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