Eit for tidleg fødd born får behandling av spesialiserte sjukepleiarar på Tangail Medical College Hospital i Bangladesh. Foto: UNICEF | A pre-term baby is on the lap of a specially trained nurse in Special Care Newborn Unit (SCANU) at Tangail Medical College Hospital. Tangail, Bangladesh. August 31, 2015. Bangladesh has made significant progress in reducing child mortality over the last few decades. Under-five mortality declined by almost half between 1994 and 2007. However, the neonatal mortality rates are not declining fast enough. And neonatal deaths due to prematurity and low birth-weight account for more than two-thirds of all infant deaths and more than 50 per cent of all under-five deaths. Two-thirds of these neonatal deaths occur within the first week of a child’s life, and most of these deaths occur within the first 24 hours, often unattended and without any form of essential care. Experts foresee that the very low pace of reduction in neonatal mortality may impede achieving the MDG 4 target. However, evidence shows that implementing simple and low-cost interventions during delivery and in the vulnerable days and week after the birth, either at a health facility or at home, can significantly reduce neonatal mortality. With the support of UNICEF, the Government of Bangladesh has set up the Special Care Newborn Unit (SCANU) at Tangail Medical College Hospital, aiming to reduce many fatal newborn complications such as perinatal asphyxia, septicemia and prematurity etc., which are the major causes of neonatal mortality. The radiant warmer, equipped with all necessaries, helps newborns to survive from fatal complications like neonatal jaundice, prematurity, sepsis and other neonatal conditions. Finally, their rights to survival can be ensured.