Skopje, November 17, 2022 (MIA) – From the 25 percent mortality rate of premature babies in 2016, the figure has been significantly reduced in 2022 to 8.2 percent. With the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment, the commitment of the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, UNFPA and UNICEF to the development and implementation of the prenatal care plan, we achieved a significant improvement, i.e. a reduction in the mortality of premature babies, said Minister of Health Bekim Sali at an event marking World Prematurity Day, held at the University Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics - Skopje. "At the same time, we also note a drop in prenatal mortality from 14.8 percent in 2018 to 9.2 percent in 2021. Recently, EUR 2.2 million have been invested in the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics to improve the treatment of pregnant women and newborns. We continue with the investments in strengthening the staff, taking into account the specificity and sensitivity of this activity. With the specialization program, six new gynecology and obstetrics subspecializations are planned for this year alone, in several areas, three new specializations are also planned," Sali pointed out. The director of the University Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Viktorija Jovanovska, said that this year the Clinic has successfully completed its work with reduced infant mortality. "The decrease in the mortality of newborns is due to the really great commitment, above all, of all intensive care staff and the serious investment in equipment and personnel. Over the past five years, huge funds have been invested in equipment. The clinic also successfully coped with the pandemic. What is significant about this day is that even in the midst of a pandemic, the Intensive Care Unit continued to work successfully. In the first year of the pandemic, we ended with 11 percent mortality of premature babies, so that throughout the pandemic we have a continuous decline and this year it is 8.2 percent," says Dr. Jovanovska. Dr. Renata Dimitriovska, head of the intensive care and therapy department at the clinic, emphasized that despite all the advances in equipment and knowledge, prematurity remains a global problem and the leading cause of death for children up to the age of five, while the surviving children are still struggling with severe health complications. "It is a necessity and a social need to continue equipping the intensive care, the organization, to have enough staff and expertise to treat these children who are practically our hope," said Dr. Dimitriovska. Dr. Elizabeta Petkovska, head of the department for special care at the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, noted in her address that even in the time of COVID, they managed to introduce another screening of children, and they continue with planning and monitoring of these children. "Next is the reintroduction of kangaroo care. On this occasion, I want to remind the minister that the ban on visiting should be lifted, these children deserve to be kangarooed, for better growth and development," added Dr. Petkovska. dk/ba/