Born too soon: accelerating change to 2030 and beyond

Abstract

Progress needed

Preterm birth rates have “flatlined” for a decade with major loss of human capital, hindering progress for many Sustainable Development Goals. Progress on the reduction of maternal, newborn and child mortality needs to accelerate by between 3 and 11-fold to reach national and global targets by 2030.

Priorities

Actions are required on two tracks: (1) prevention of preterm birth, including better management for women in preterm labour, and (2) provision of high-quality care to vulnerable newborns, including those born into fragile and conflict-affected settings. Together these tracks have potential for high impact in terms of millions of lives saved, and socioeconomic returns on investment. We can and must do more to provide quality and respectful reproductive, antenatal and birth care for all adolescent girls and women, everywhere, and close unacceptable survival gaps for small and sick newborns. New focus is essential on threats beyond the health sector, notably conflict and the climate crisis.

Pivots

The cost of inaction is too high in every country. Four pivots are central to accelerating action: invest, implement, integrate, and innovate. More specifically these pivots include investments in systems including more skilled human resources; implementation of high-impact interventions with data used for quality improvement and accountability; innovations including new health technologies and also systems and social innovations; plus, integration with levels of the health sector and across sectors and the life-course, with families at the centre. Everyone has a role to play. Increasing speed now, and sustaining progress, requires multi-level leadership including from grassroots movements led by parents and affected people through to heads of state. Some countries provide examples of such change: The United States of America in data identified inequalities by state and ethnicity for preterm birth. Importantly noting drops in donor aid, India has made ambitious investment in the health sector and beyond, and United Republic of Tanzania in multi-level leadership. Changing gears requires the ambition and energy witnessed a generation ago for HIV/AIDS. We have the ability now to ensure that every baby born too soon – and their mothers – can survive and thrive. Our next generation depends on us acting now for more healthy starts and hopeful futures.