To think that when Radio 4 reports on worldwide infant mortality

Does it say how many of the births were incompatible with life? We have a large population on this small island and despite some of the best efforts of maternity services, some babies are sadly born to die through prematurity or abnormality.

It is clear from the attached data that in Afghanistan, which is the worst rate, the neonatal death rate is around 119 per 1000 births.
here is is 4 per 1000 births

There are a few countries that a do better than us and 188 that are worse. There is some room for improvement in the UK.

Do you not think that there is a big difference here? There is more info on this topic if you look at the gransnet thread I started yesterday.

www.gransnet.com/forums/feminism/1205114-Pregnant-women-who-do-most-of-the-physical-work

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html

Where did you find those figures, granb ? According to the Office of National Statistics, there were 2,912 infant deaths (deaths under 1 year) in England and Wales in 2012 compared with 3,025 infant deaths in 2011 and 6,775 in 1982.

And they quote about 11 stillbirths occurred in England and Wales in 2010 (5.2 per 1000 live births)

In world ratings, the Uk comes well above the third world countries you refer to. There is never any room for complacency in the field of child health, but you seem to be unnecessarily critical.

Viw the causes of child mortality. Place of birth of the mother comes very high up the list.

Stillbirth and neonatal death from patient.co.uk

I saw this item on the news - reporter was in South Sudan where the record is the worst in Africa. The lack of midwifery care in these developing country is one reason for neo natal mortality and for the death of many mothers in childbirth.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26332929

Just one death is sad enough...

But over 6,200 "in the UK" is a lot more than just under 3,000 in England and Wales. I can't imagine that there would be another 3,000 or more in Scotland and Northern Ireland, when the population of those countries is about one ninth of that of England and Wales.

As Joelsnan is asking, how many of those stillbirths were due to abnormalities which meant they could not sustain life? That is not scandalous lack of care, it is a sad fact of nature that not all foetuses are fated to be viable once on their own in the world. All the prinateal care possible will not save all of them.

How many of the mothers of the babies who died were themselves unfit, due to their early lives? Births to parents who were not born in this country form a large proportion of the birthrate, and it is too late to put right all the problems of the mothers.

Every child death is sad, but that does not mean that there a scandalous lack of care for mothers and babies in this country.

Are you still there, Granb ? You have not come back to tell us the source of your very specific comment.

We are doing better than the united states.

There is a lot of quoting statistics that are without foundation or proper analysis.

Yesterday I heard someone on the radio say that 50% of people aged 75 or more have sight problems caused by AMD (age-related macular degeneration). I didn't think that was correct so I checked on the RNIB site www.rnib.org.uk/aboutus/research/statistics/Pages/statistics.aspx

and it is actually only 20% of people over 70 who have sight problems, and not all of them have AMD

I did not hear the programme GranB, but thank you very much for starting a thread highlighting this very important issue, which sadly receives very little coverage in the media.
Further information is available on the Stillborn And Neonatal Death Charity (SANDS) website.

https://www.uk-sands.org/why-babies-die