This decade report, prepared by Countdown to 2015 and its partners, collects and analyses data from the 68 countries that account for at least 95% of maternal and child deaths. It produces country profiles that present coverage data for a range of key health services, including: contraceptive use; antenatal care; skilled attendance at delivery; postnatal care; child health; financial investments in maternal, newborn and child health; and equity of access, health systems and policy.
The 2010 report reviews progress made from 2000-2010 and provides a mix of good and bad news. One good news message is that the under-5 child mortality rate has declined by 28%, from an estimated 90 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990 to 65 deaths per 1000 in 2008, accounting for a reduction of nearly 4 million child deaths per year.
Nineteen of the 68 Countdown countries now are “on track” to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4, which calls for reducing child deaths by two-thirds between the 1990 base line and 2015.
Many Countdown countries are still off track for achieving MDGs 4 and 5 and are not increasing coverage of key health interventions quickly enough. Countdown countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are especially far behind, although a few have shown improvements. The report finds however that 53 of the 68 Countdown countries are experiencing acute shortages of doctors, nurses and midwives. Furthermore, poorly functioning health infrastructure, inadequate numbers of health workers, slow adoption of evidence-based health policies and insufficient focus on quality of care are holding back progress in many countries. The report argues that countries should aggressively pursue policies to make health services available and affordable for all by making services free at point of delivery and exploring innovative financing strategies.
The 2010 Countdown Decade Report concludes that achieving MDGs 4 and 5 is still possible by the deadline year 2015, but only a dramatic acceleration of political commitment and financial investment can make it happen.
Countdown to 2015 initiative is a global movement of academics, governments, UN agencies, foundations, health care associations and non-governmental organizations formed in 2005 to track progress in reducing maternal (MDG 5) and child deaths (MDG 4) in the 68 countries where over 95% of these deaths occur, and to work together towards achieving these Goals. Countdown to 2015 also addresses MDG 1 (eradicate poverty and hunger), MDG 6 (combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases) and MDG 7 (ensure environmental sustainability).
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Click here to see the list of partners.
Source: NGLS