Health picture under one year old as depicted in Philippines health statistics (1966)

ABSTRACT

In the Philippines, significant gains have been attained in saving infant lives during the past 46 years, with a 58.0% decrease. Thus our infant death rate of 156.7 for 1920 was reduced to 65.5 per 1000 live births in 1966. The present rate, however, continues to be high as compared with most countries, including those around us. Among progressive countries this rate is now only between 10 to 15The Philippines is the fourth in the prevalence list of TB infections among 59 countries tabulated by WHOLosses in the newborn remain high in most countries but patricularly so in developing countries like the Philippines where the latest neonatal death rate remains at 31.2. In fact, in this country, fully half of those who die under one year are in the first month of life and one-fourth of deaths in the newborn period are less than a day old. It is evident that circumstances around birth demand attention if we are to save infant livesIt appears that only about 43.8% of infants who died in 1966 received medical attention which was given by health officers, private practitioners and hospitals in about equal proportions (about 12% each)Only 20% of births took place in hospitals during the year. About 56% of total deliveries were attended by doctors, nurses and midwives. A good 44% of births were attended by traditional midwives or other untrained individuals. It is no wonder that neonatal mortality has remained high and that infections and preventable conditions have no been eliminated among the ten leading causes of neonatal deaths.(Conclusions)