74 Special Care Newborn Units opened at hospitals in 50 districts
The Health Minister inaugurates the SCANU services at the auditorium of Dhaka Medical College Hospital
Around 90,000 newborn babies die in Bangladesh every year due to various causes including premature birth, respiratory distress, low birth weight and pneumonia. 52% of the deaths happened within 24 hours of birth.
To curtail the child mortality rate in the country, the government has launched 74 Special Care Newborn Units (SCANUs), named after Sheikh Russel, at different hospitals in 50 districts.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Tuesday inaugurated the SCANU services, at the auditorium of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
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The minister said, "The SCANUs that were previously launched in the country have so far saved the lives of one lakh newborns."
The country's child mortality rate has started to reduce at a mentionable rate thanks to the SCANU services, he added.
The minister further said the ministry formed two teams to monitor healthcare services at hospitals in Dhaka and every district of the country. The number of beds at every hospital outside Dhaka are being increased.
"Well-equipped hospitals are being built in eight divisions of the country so that the pressure of patients in Dhaka hospitals comes down," he also said.
Previously, there were 61 Special Care Newborn Units (SCANU) in 50 districts of the country. Of them, twelve SCANUs were established by the government while 40 by UNICEF, seven by the USAID, one by icddr'b and one by Jica.
