International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

The government in Rwanda has commended recent improvements in the child mortality rate.

According to Dr Fidel Ngabo, a maternal and child health specialist at the Rwandan health ministry, many of the deaths among young people had come about as a result of malnutrition, the New Times reports.

However, he said an effort to promote the benefits of breastfeeding has helped to tackle this problem and save lives as a result.

Dr Ngabo stated that health outcomes have also been improved thanks to community health workers bringing their services "closer to the population".

This, he said, has enabled people to enjoy improved access to family planning drugs, as well as treatments for malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia, including vaccinations.

Furthermore, Dr Ngabo noted that community health workers have helped to make people less sensitive about HIV testing.

According to Unicef, Rwanda has some of the worst child mortality figures in the world, with malaria accounting for nearly one in three fatalities.

Posted by David Smith