Angola also reduced under-five mortality from 68 to 52 deaths per 1000 live births, with WHO considering that challenges regarding antenatal care coverage and skilled birth attendance remain in the country.
In a note alluding to World Health Day, which is celebrated this Monday, the WHO considers that Angola has made "significant progress" in maternal and child health and encourages the Angolan executive and partners to invest in high-impact maternal and neonatal health services.
The UN health agency also advocates that Angolan authorities must ensure equitable access to quality care, adopt laws that protect the right to health, address social and economic inequalities and strengthen accountability and innovation.
The Integrated Strategic Plan for Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child, Adolescent and Nutritional Health, recently developed in Angola, "is an essential tool to guide universal coverage of high-impact, high-quality interventions", the note says.
According to the WHO representative in Angola, Indrajit Harazika, quoted in the statement, World Health Day is an opportunity to celebrate remarkable progress achieved in the area of health and to advocate for urgent actions to address the profound challenges that persist.
"Investing in maternal and newborn health generates substantial economic returns, in addition to saving lives (...). We will work together with the executive, families, the private sector (...) to intensify efforts to end preventable maternal and neonatal deaths and to prioritize the long-term health and well-being of women in Angola", said the official.
The Ministry of Health, in a statement alluding to the date, also highlighted the significant progress in reducing neonatal, infant and under-5 mortality rates, already highlighted by the WHO.
These results are "testament to the commitment, dedication, hard work of the [Angolan] executive, our health professionals, families and the support of our partners", highlights the ministerial department.
"Despite the significant progress achieved, the path to ensuring the health and well-being of all mothers and children in Angola is far from complete. The consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that has affected the entire world have created disruptions in health services", it is also noted.
The celebrations of World Health Day take place under the motto "Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures", dedicated to maternal and child health.
