Sancti Spíritus has the lowest infant mortality rate in Cuba

Havana, Nov 7 (RHC) The central Cuban province of Sancti Spiritus has an infant mortality rate of 3.4 per 1,000 live births, the lowest in the country, according to Dr. Frank Garcia, head of the Maternal and Infant Program in that territory.

The specialist assured that this achievement is part of the strategy of attention between polyclinics, health centers of the municipalities and the services of Perinatology and Neonatology of the provincial hospital 'Camilo Cienfuegos' and the Intensive Care Unit of the pediatric hospital 'José Martí'.

Garcia commented that in order to achieve and maintain these advances, Sancti Spíritus focuses on a follow-up of the protocol on the risk of prematurity in order to prevent children from being born prematurely or presenting intrauterine growth retardation.

The health sector is developing actions to boost the birth rate and attenuate the decrease of the last 10 years; so far this year, some 3,600 births have been reported, below the figure achieved in the same period of 2021.

"Among the priorities is the work with the preconception risk, that is, to make it possible for the woman to achieve a pregnancy in optimal health conditions and reach a happy term," added the expert. (Source: PL)