The World Health Organisation (WHO) says there is a need for Ghana to have a holistic approach towards reducing neonatal mortality to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets.
Dr Owen Kaluwa, WHO Representative to Ghana, said at the current pace, Ghana could only reduce the neonatal mortality rate to 20 per 1000 live births by 2030 against the SDGs target of 12 deaths per 1000 live births.
He said the United Nations (UN) commends Ghana for the great efforts made, by investing in the area of newborn health over the years through the implementation of the National Newborn Health Strategy and Action Plan (2014-2018) and also for the development of the new strategy to give direction for the next five years.
Dr Kaluwa said this at the opening of the Eighth Annual Newborn Stakeholders' Conference in Accra.
The three-day conference, which is being hosted by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ministry of Health, is being held under the theme: "Survive, Thrive and Transform: A Call to Action".
Among its objectives is to sensitise key policy makers, health managers and frontline workers and the general public about the current state of newborns in Ghana; and to disseminate the National Newborn Health Strategy (2019-2023) and build consensus on its operationalisation.
Globally, there has been a remarkable improvement in child survival since 1990; the under-five mortality rate decreased by 58 per cebt, from 93 per 1000 live births in 1990 to 39 per 1000 live births in 2017.
