Punjab records 62 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births, highlighting persistent gaps in maternal and child healthcare despite having the country’s largest public healthcare network and health budget. Health experts say many of these deaths are preventable and are linked to weak primary healthcare, shortages of neonatal specialists, overcrowded maternity and children’s wards, and unequal access to quality medical services in urban and rural areas.

Health experts say many of these deaths are preventable and are linked to weak primary healthcare, shortages of neonatal specialists, overcrowded maternity and children’s wards, and unequal access to quality medical services in urban and rural areas.

The first month after birth remains the most critical period for a child. Premature birth, infections, low birth weight, and delays in accessing emergency medical care claim thousands of newborn lives every year.

The situation is particularly challenging in district hospitals, where neonatal intensive care units remain overstretched and referral systems often fail to ensure timely treatment for critically ill infants. Families in major districts of Punjab also face difficulties getting children admitted to already crowded hospital wards.

Public health experts say successive governments have invested heavily in tertiary healthcare facilities and launched several flagship programs, but preventive healthcare has not received the same level of attention.

Community-based maternal services, including nutrition programs, trained midwives, and functional primary healthcare centers, remain inadequate in many districts, leaving expectant mothers and newborns vulnerable to complications.

According to a Population Council fact sheet, improving access to voluntary family planning could significantly reduce infant and maternal deaths.

The council estimates that increasing contraceptive prevalence in Punjab from the current 41% to 59% could save nearly 73,000 infants and 2,300 mothers every year through healthier birth spacing and fewer unintended pregnancies.

At the national level, nearly 140,000 newborns and 3,800 mothers could be saved annually through improved access to family planning.

The World Health Organization estimates that 675 newborns and 27 mothers die every day in Pakistan due to preventable complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the neonatal period.

These figures place Pakistan among the countries with one of the world’s highest newborn mortality burdens and underline the need to strengthen maternal and child health services.

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