The document was released as the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to undermine progress and reveal weaknesses in health systems. It discusses four proposed coverage targets (four or more antenatal care contacts, births attended by skilled health personnel, postnatal care within 2 days and care for both small and sick newborns) for 2020–2025 at the global, national, and subnational levels. It also stresses why this is a particularly urgent time to strengthen health systems overall and prevent stillbirths.
Key Findings
- Stillbirths and neonatal deaths account for most deaths among women, children and adolescents but the lowest investment along the continuum of their care.
- Investment in care during pregnancy, childbirth and the first month of life yields a quadruple return: saving mothers and newborns, preventing stillbirths, reducing disabilities and paving the way for optimal child development and lifelong health and well-being
- It is the right of every child and every pregnant woman everywhere to access high-quality maternal and newborn care during and beyond crises.
- Almost all intrapartum stillbirths are preventable with the provision of quality care during childbirth.
- Many antepartum stillbirths can be prevented through high quality antenatal care.