Cambodian Red Cross (CRC) president Bun Rany has called for a sharper focus on improving reproductive, maternal, newborn and paediatric health services. CRC
Cambodian Red Cross (CRC) president Bun Rany has issued a fresh call for the Ministry of Health and other entities at national and sub-national levels to join forces and sharpen their focus on improving reproductive, maternal, newborn and paediatric healthcare services.
Bun Rany made the appeal in a letter issued in conjunction with National Day of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, which will be observed on February 21 under the theme “Together to strengthen reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and youth health services and nutrition to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals [SDG] by 2030”.
She commended the aforementioned partners for their attention and efforts to overcome Covid-19-related challenges and improve to a remarkable degree the overall quality of healthcare.
Without providing time frames for reference, she shared that the rate of women receiving proper prenatal care has increased from 95 to 99 per cent; the maternal mortality rate decreased from 174 to 154 per 100,000 live births; and the neonatal mortality rate dropped from 18 to 8 per 1,000 live births.
She appealed to pregnant women to attend at least four prenatal visits with a specialist at a hospital or health centre, receive tetanus and Covid vaccines as needed, and undergo blood tests for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B to prevent mother-to-child transmission.
She also suggested that they arrange to give birth at an appropriate facility with properly-trained staff, seek postnatal care, and ensure that their infants complete by age 2 the standard vaccination schedule, which comprises 11 types of jabs.
Ensuring safe, quality and professional healthcare services for the population will drive progress on SDGs in Cambodia, Bun Rany said, calling for the objectives of the National Day of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health to be “to be remembered and taken care of, and turned into reality”.
“Bring hope to our compatriots, for they are a force with the potential to propel the Kingdom of Cambodia into achieving the large-scale ambitions set out, especially the SDGs by 2030,” she said.
