62 Out of 1,000 Babies in Punjab Die Before Their First Birthday

Punjab reports a startling infant mortality rate of 62 deaths per 1,000 live births, underscoring significant shortcomings in maternal and child healthcare. Despite having the nation's most extensive public healthcare infrastructure and budget, experts assert that many of these preventable deaths are linked to subpar primary healthcare, a scarcity of neonatal specialists, crowded maternity and pediatric wards, and unequal access to quality medical services between urban and rural regions.

The crucial first month of a newborn's life poses the greatest risk, with premature births, infections, low birth weight, and delayed access to emergency medical treatment resulting in numerous infant fatalities annually.

District hospitals, in particular, struggle with inadequate neonatal intensive care units and ineffective referral systems, which often fail to provide timely treatment for critically ill infants. Families in major districts also encounter challenges when attempting to admit their children to already overcrowded hospital wards. Public health authorities emphasize that while the government has invested substantially in tertiary healthcare and implemented various flagship programs, preventive healthcare has not received comparable focus.

Community-based maternal services, encompassing nutrition programs, trained midwives, and functional primary healthcare centers, are insufficient in many districts, leaving expectant mothers and newborns susceptible to complications.

The Population Council highlights that enhancing access to voluntary family planning could substantially diminish infant and maternal deaths. If contraceptive usage in Punjab increases from the current 41% to 59%, approximately 73,000 infant and 2,300 maternal deaths could be prevented annually. Nationally, the same improvement could save nearly 140,000 newborns and 3,800 mothers every year by promoting healthier birth spacing and reducing unintended pregnancies.

The World Health Organization estimates that 675 newborns and 27 mothers succumb daily in Pakistan to preventable complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the neonatal period, placing Pakistan among countries with one of the highest newborn mortality burdens worldwide. These statistics highlight the urgent need to bolster maternal and child health services in the country.