Experts calls for stillbirth to be a global health priority

In an article published in the BMJ this week a number of health experts have called for stillbirth to be considered a global health priority.  Author Zeshan Qureshi (academic clinical fellow in international child health) and his colleagues, highlight that though the global rate of stillbirths is estimated to be about 2.64 million a year, 1.2 million of which are during labour, stillbirth is not mentioned in the current draft of the United Nations sustainable development goals, which sets global targets for 2015-30.

They suggest the international adoption of the “Every Newborn” action plan stillbirth targets, which are to reduce the stillbirth rate to ≤12 per 1000 births in every country by 2030.  The authors argue that explicit targets and accountability would help raise the political profile of stillbirths, engage global leaders and encourage greater investment in perinatal care interventions.
Read the article summary here