Born unlucky

Pakistan ranks as the world’s worst country in which to be born according to a new Unicef report released this week. The country has the world’s highest mortality rate for newborns with one in every 22 babies dying within a month of birth. Eight of the other 10 countries with the worst infant mortality rates lie in impoverished sub-Saharan Africa. For Pakistan there can be no excuses. Compared to other countries on the list with the highest rates of deaths, which include the Central African Republic, Somalia, Lesotho, South Sudan and Mali, Pakistan has a greater reserve of resources and a comparatively lower rate of poverty. Its position at the very bottom of the list is ignominious and a source of very serious concerns. It is true that the safety of children after they are born is to a considerable extent linked to the socio-economic conditions of the country they are born in. For example, Japan is the safest place to be born with only one in 1,111 babies dying within a month of birth. The US is ranked at the 41st position, reflecting the broad disparities in healthcare that exist within it. There are however examples of how change can happen. In Rwanda, within a period of just over 15 years from 1990 to 2016, the rate of death for infants has been halved. The nation, which also has the highest number of women in parliament compared to any other country, demonstrates how changes in spending priorities can alter the lives of people.

At present, despite the many developments the world has seen, 2.6 million babies around the world die within 30 days of their birth. The Unicef report which was released to launch a global campaign called ‘Every Child Alive’ emphasises the need for affordable quality healthcare. This is not available to most Pakistani mothers with the high maternal mortality rate tying into the battle. Unicef has reiterated that access to trained medical workers can save lives. While around the world there has been success in improving the mortality rates for older children aged up to five years, protecting infants remains a problem. As we can see in Pakistan it is a very big one. The mortality rate and the failure to stem the deaths contribute also to problems with controlling the birth rate and ensuring a better quality of life for all citizens. The Unicef report reminds us how urgently we need to prioritise the issue and give children a better start in the world at their time of birth.