Palestine | Priority areas | Early Essential Newborn Care

WHO in occupied Palestinian territory

Early Essential Newborn Care

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Aggravating social determinants of health, particularly in Gaza, affect the most vulnerable, impacting the health of mothers and babies. The period around childbirth is particularly critical for both mothers and newborns, hence childbirth care is lifesaving.

The overburdened hospitals in Gaza are struggling to provide quality care for newborns and to cope with deteriorating health determinants. WHO and partners (UNICEF, UNFPA, UNRWA, MAP-UK and others) within the framework of the “Every Newborn Action Plan” are promoting and supporting Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC), a package of evidence-based life-saving interventions during delivery and the early newborn period. Adoption of these interventions and elimination of potentially harmful practices can effectively reduce the risk of infection and sepsis, asphyxia and complications for an estimated 45 000 newborn boys and girls in Gaza, including for preterm and low-birth-weight babies.