Department of Health Sindh’s Maternal, newborn and Child Health
Programme and UNICEF work plan 2012: Developing Newborn Care
Policy, Strategy and Action Plan. Pakistan Demographic and
Health Survey (PDHS) 2006/7 reported high level of newborn
mortality across all provinces of Pakistan, including Sindh. The
major causes of death among under-five children are birth
asphyxia (22 per cent), sepsis (14 per cent), pneumonia (13 per
cent), diarrhoea (11 per cent), and prematurity (9 per cent). In
2009, Pakistan accounted for 6.9% of global newborn deaths and
ranked 191 out of 193 countries in number of newborn deaths.
With 225,450 total estimated annual newborn deaths, each day 618
Pakistani new-born die. The PDHS 2006/7 reported Newborn
Mortality rate of Sindh is 53/1000 Live Birth. While there is no
wealth quintile specific data on neonatal mortality for Sindh,
neonatal mortality is 63/1000 among the poorest wealth quintile
compared to 38/1000 among the wealthiest quintile nationally.
Newborn mortality is high acr