WHO Kickstarts Campaign to Help Save Newborns in Vietnam

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a campaign entitled “First Embrace” in Vietnam on July 14 with aim to save thousands of newborn lives, state media reported on July 16. Vietnam has made great effort in the last two decades to reduce number of newborn babies dying within the first month of life to reach the UN Millennium Development Goal target of reducing child mortality, however, in 2012, the country still recorded 17,000 babies died within the first month of life, according to the WHO. “We lose far too many newborn infants to preventable factors, such as disease,” said Shin Young-soo, WHO’s regional director for the Western Pacific, “First Embrace addresses this challenge by urging women and healthcare providers across Vietnam to take simple steps to protect babies during the crucial time immediately after birth.” First Embrace program, which highlights early essential newborn care (EENC), will address the most common causes of newborn death or disease, such as prematurity, low birth weight, and severe infection such as pneumonia or diarrhea. According to the WHO, EENC can be done without the need for complicated preparations or expensive technology in any region nationwide including remote areas, which have a high number of new born fatalities. The Ministry of Health (MoH) cooperates with the WHO to launch the campaign in three hospitals including Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospitals in Danang, and the National Obsterics and Gynecology Hospital in Hanoi. The three hospitals were awarded with EENC Centers of Excellence before. WHO will provide additional directions and training to nurses and doctors in order to create a conducive environment for mothers and newborns to receive early newborn care in the hospitals. First Embrace is part of the WHO’s attempt to improve access to and the quality of maternal, newborn, and child healthcare services in Vietnam and Western Pacific Region. (Nhandan.org July 15, Vietnamnet.vn July 15)