Organization of neonatal care services and its importance

Universally 4 million newborns die and another 4 million a re stillborn every year. Ninety-eight perçem of these neonatal deaths lake place in tlıe developing countries. Looking at the state of the worlds newborns one can see that, neonatal mortalily nite is about 4-5 per thousand in the developed countries while it's neaıiy 10 fold in the developing world. Causes that underlie these newborn tlealhs ditter according to a country's development rank. According to WHO estimates for the year 2001, newborns die due to infections (32 %), birth asphyxia and trauma (29 %), prematıırity (24 %) and congenital anomalie.s (10 %). mostly in the developing countries.
While organizing neonatal çare sevices in a countıy or a region, priorities should be decided on loking at neonatal and perinatal mortality nıles and caııses of neonatal and perinatal deaths. Causes of neonatal and perinatal deaths in the developing countries have been documented and reflect some common unclerlying problems in the health systems.
Starting points in organization of neonatal health care services seems to be improving women's health and social state, family planning practices, antenatal care and safe delivery conditions. Neonatal resuscitation, essential newborn çare and sick newborn care practices should also be improved. Communilies and health professionals should be aclvocates of newborn health in order to seek and deliver newborn health care. Existing health systems should be re-organized to host regionalized perinatal care.