Newborn mortality in Kyrgyzstan halves since 1991

Bishkek, June 7, 2019 /Kabar/. Bishkek hosts a round table "Newborn survival in Kyrgyzstan: achievements and improvement ways" within the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Deputy Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan Mademin Karatayev, Japanese ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, UNICEF representative in Kyrgyzstan, members of Parliament and development partners took part in the event.
A study conducted by Dr. Zulfikar Bhutto’s team showed that neonatal mortality in Kyrgyzstan decreased from 24 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1991 to 10.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017, or by 54%. Globally, this figure decreased by 51% over the same period, and in Central Asia by 59%.
The study also shows that the infant mortality in rural areas is higher than in urban areas. Almost 49.9 % of the decline in infant mortality is due to a significant increase in the share of breastfeeding by mothers of their newborns in the first hour after delivery.
Researchers made a number of recommendations to Kyrgyzstan in reducing maternal and child mortality sich as to improve nutrition for women during pregnancy and prenatal period, improve the quality of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) coverage, invest in human development and newborn care skills, and improve analysis of indicators and data for quality of measures.