Neonatal mortality in two tertiary pediatric hospitals in Baghdad (2012-2016)‎

Abstract EN

Background: Many studies have linked the prevalence of violence and conflicts to the increasing number of neonatal mortality rate (NMR).

This study was conducted to clarify the relationship between conflict and neonatal mortality in Baghdad, Iraq.

Objective: Throw a light on the impact of conflicts on neonatal mortality in Iraq.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in two hospitals in Baghdad that were chosen randomly.

All deceased newborns in neonatal intensive care units from January 2012 to December 2016 in the mentioned hospitals were included in this study.

Results: The admissions were increased during the period of the study by 1.3 times.

There was a decrease in admission by 0.9 in 2016 than 2015.

There was an increase in NMR during the period of the study by 1.4 times, from 60/1000 in 2012 to 85/1000 in 2016.

Conclusions: There has been an observed increase in neonatal mortality in Iraq due to the impact of conflicts that have led to deterioration in the neonatal health status.