The report expands on the 2023 World Health Organisation findings and includes contributions from 95 authors across 67 organisations in 29 countries, among them, South Africa (SA).
Led by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health , the collection of 10 papers presents both the scale of the problem and practical solutions. Professor Joy Lawn, one of the lead authors and a specialist in maternal and child health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, explained that despite global efforts, progress over the past decade has stagnated.
Speaking from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Lawn noted that preterm birth remains a leading cause of death in children under five and continues to take a silent toll on families worldwide. “We’ve seen little change in the numbers, and it’s clear that current approaches are not delivering the results needed,” she said.
The journal includes case studies from 13 countries making progress, with standout examples from India and Tanzania. India has more than doubled the number of neonatal units in the past decade, now exceeding 1000 across the country. Meanwhile, Tanzania is rolling out a nationally coordinated strategy to expand neonatal care to 146 district hospitals, backed by strong political leadership.
“Planning at scale with a single national strategy has allowed Tanzania to move faster and use resources more effectively,” Lawn added. “It’s a model that other countries could learn from.”
In addition to health system reforms, the report stresses the need to address broader issues affecting preterm birth, including teenage pregnancies, maternal infections, and gaps in women’s health and rights. With prevention still a major challenge, improved care for premature babies remains the most immediate opportunity to save lives.
The report also highlights the particular risks faced by newborns in fragile and conflict-affected regions, where access to even the most basic care is often limited or entirely unavailable. Around 10% of the world’s preterm babies are born in these settings, with climate threats and displacement further compounding their vulnerability.
For the first time, the report incorporates a rights-based approach to preterm birth, asserting that access to care should be seen not just as a health issue, but as a matter of fundamental justice. Lawn drew a parallel with SA’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, where civil society mobilised around the principle that access to treatment is a human right.
“We haven’t applied the same energy to protecting vulnerable newborns,” she said. “It’s time to change that thinking and ensure every baby, regardless of where they're born, has access to care that can help them survive and thrive.”
--ChannelAfrica--
