A “major gap” exists in the effort to decrease neonatal deaths by providing care to the infant intrapartum and early postnatally. Nurses and physicians with skills to care for children and, especially, neonates at birth are in very short supply in areas with high neonatal mortality. A recent publication points to a survey in sub-Saharan Africa that found that 15% of maternity hospitals had appropriate staff and equipment to perform neonatal resuscitation for a population
where it is reasonable to expect that 30% of neonatal deaths can be averted. Attention is drawn to the need for new initiatives, with HBB mentioned specifically.