STATUS OF MEDICAL CARE FOR NEWBORNS IN UKRAINE
Authors: Antypkin Y. , Znamenska T. , Marushko R. , Dudina E. , Lapshin V. , Vlasov A. 
Published: April 2021

Introduction. In the context of continuing depopulation, and low birth rate, the formation and preservation of newborn generations’ health is the most important medical and social task and one of the main activities of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and local health care institutions.

The aim of the study was to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of medical care for newborns in Ukraine and its impact on the main indicators of newborns’ health.

Materials and research methods. A retrospective analysis and assessment of the dynamics of neonatal care in Ukraine was carried out according to state and industry statistics, perinatal audit according to the method of WHO “MATRIX - BABIES” for the period 2001-2019, monitoring and evaluation of the regionalization of perinatal care (for 2014-2017). Methods of a systematic approach, bibliographic, statistical data processing, and graphic representation were applied.

Results of the study: the study showed that during the period of the research a  number of newborns born in the facilities of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine decreased from 387900 in 2000 to 294100 in 2019, with a negative trend in the generalized objective criterion of the generation’s health and socio-economic well-being of the population - frequency of premature newborns with low birth weight  including those with extremely low birth weight. At the same time, the frequency of newborns with congenital diseases or those who got sick after birth, decreased from 280.8 per 1000 live births in 2000 to 172.14 in 2019 with the wave-like nature of its dynamics.

The existing state system of three-level neonatal care integrated into the perinatal service makes it possible to provide basic, qualified and highly qualified specialized medical care for newborns at all stages of its provision. During the observation period, the provision of newborns with pediatrician-neonatologists increased from 4.58 per 1000 live births to 5.34, and with hospital beds for premature and sick newborns - from 5.62 to 6.91, respectively.

A slight increasing trend of significant criterion of newborns’ health condition was achieved (99.36% in 2001 vs 99.7% in 2019) along with the activities of the neonatological service in survival of newborns in the first 168 hours of life mainly due to a 2.6-fold increase in the survival of newborns with a birth weight of 500-999g. Sufficient efficiency of medical care for newborns was confirmed by a positive trend in early neonatal mortality from 4.71 ‰ in 2000 to 3.04 ‰ in 2019 and neonatal mortality from 6.65 ‰ to 4.57 ‰, respectively.

At the same time, the increase of newborns’ incidence with diseases that have a direct impact on the development of chronic and disabling diseases is a cause for concern: cases of congenital pneumonia increased from 3.18 ‰ in 2000 to 5.46 ‰ in 2019, of neonatal sepsis - from 0.09 ‰ to 0.74 ‰, respectively. Also other disorders of newborns’ cerebral status increased from 18.5 ‰ in 2010 to 28.5 ‰, and neonatal jaundice -  from 31.11 ‰ in 2015 to 43.65 ‰.

An excess in 1.5 times of the standard recommended by the WHO of the proportional indicator of early neonatal mortality was revealed among infants weighing more than 1500 g. The excess of the real indicator of early neonatal mortality over the actual one was 2.2-2.3 times, which meant underestimation of the total rate of neonatal and infant mortality.

Conclusions. Further improvement of the effectiveness of neonatal care and the decrease of early neonatal and neonatal mortality levels requires continued regionalization of perinatal care, completion of the perinatal care centers of the third level, revision and provision of patient routes, development and provision of state-guaranteed medical services/standards (such as a standard of child’s safety, safety of pregnant and postpartum woman), the reliability of determining body weight at birth, criteria for live birth and stillbirth, the introduction of follow-up monitoring of low-birth-weight newborns, the formation of a unified system for monitoring the activities of the maternal and child health services.