Mumbai: In a wake up call, Mumbai's neonatologists have claimed that "Every third child born in India is premature" while underscoring an immediate need to improve the nutrition of young women in India.
"It is estimated that 3.6 million premature births took place in India in 2010. India is the biggest contributor to the world's prematurity burden,'' said Dr Kishore Sanghvi, president of Neonatology Forum (NNF)in Mumbai.
He said it is important for pregnant women to have regular health check-up to avoid preterm delivery.
Sanghvi was speaking at a function held on Saturday to observe World Prematurity Day and emphasized the need to have better care for premature babies.
"Women should take adequate rest, avoid bumpy rides, prevent for local infections and keep healthy during pregnancy," he added.
As per the statistics provided by NNF and the Indian Foundation of Premature Babies, 25% of all neonatal deaths in the world occur in India.
Neonatologist Dr Nandkishore Kabra said, "If we can control three factors, including infection among neonates, the death rate will come down drastically by 90%."
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