DCP3 author for the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health volume, Dr. Joy Lawn contributed to a recent Bloomberg News article about maternal and child death in developing countries. Dr. Lawn stated, "The day of birth is the most dangerous day of your life. Most of these deaths are preventable with simple approaches, but a sense of urgency is key." In 2013, 289,000 women died during childbirth and nearly 1 million newborns died during their first day of life worldwide, primarily due to low-quality maternity care and scarce resources.
Investing more money and resources in maternal and newborn care in high-burden countries can potentially save 3 million lifes - women, stillbirths, and newborns - by 2025. This is according to the Every Newborn Action Plan; a new initiative coordinated by UNICEF and the World Health Organization that provides a "roadmap and joint action platform for the reduction of preventable newborn mortality." Dr. Lawn is a co-author of the 58-page report.
In addition to a variety of maternal and newborn topics, the DCP3 volume on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health will address maternal mortality, morbidity, stillbirth and influences to pregnancy and pre-pregnancy in developing countries.