The three most common causes of death among newborns are genetic disease, premature birth and accidents, including putting a baby down to sleep on their stomach, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said yesterday as he called for greater awareness.
Hsueh made the remarks at a conference on reducing the nation’s neonatal mortality rate, organized by the Taiwan Society of Neonatology and the Taiwan Pediatric Association in Taipei.
Of the top causes of death among newborns, genetic disease caused by gene or chromosome mutation can be avoided if discovered during prenatal care checkups, but it could raise ethical issues, so it might be unacceptable for some parents, he said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
Hsueh said the two other causes can be more easily avoided, as medical professionals strive to prevent premature births and to provide better medical assistance to premature babies.
Some accidents, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) caused by laying a baby to sleep on their stomach, can also be prevented, he said.
Some parents believe that letting their newborn sleep on their stomach would help them have a round head, which is a “ridiculous” reason, Hsueh said.
The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) urges parents to avoid putting babies down to sleep on their bellies, he said, adding that the government would continue to raise public awareness about SIDS.
Child Welfare League Foundation president Lin Jih-jia (林志嘉) said Taiwan’s birthrate has fallen to almost the lowest in the world, but its neonatal mortality rate is higher than those in Japan and South Korea.
He urged the ministry to set up a specialized agency to assess and deal with the problem.
National Taiwan University Children Hospital’s Division of Neonatology attending physician Chou Hung-chieh (周弘傑) said the neonatal mortality rate has been increasing in the past three years.
The rate is about 2.4 deaths per 1,000 live births, which is 2.7 times that in Japan and 1.6 times that in South Korea, Chou said, calling on the government to pay attention to the problem.
Another common cause of neonatal death are perinatal respiratory disorders, he said.
A neonatal death database should be established to analyze the cases and improve critical issues, he added.
An HPA analysis suggested that a higher neonatal mortality rate is associated with a higher average maternal age, so medical care and support for pregnancy at an advanced maternal age is also important, Chou said.
National Health Insurance Administration Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said the National Health Insurance (NHI) system would cover “high-risk pregnancy neonatal emergency treatment fees,” following calls by medical professionals.
The decision was made at Thursday’ meeting of the National Health Insurance Pharmaceutical Benefit and Reimbursement Standard.
The NHI would cover three types of high-risk pregnancy neonatal emergency treatment fees, based on high, medium and low risk levels, Shih said.
The policy might take affect in September at the earliest, as it requires administrative review and final approval by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
RSS