Chapter 1 The Problem and Its Setting

Introduction The birth of the baby doesnt mean the end of all the risks for both the mother and the newborn. Still, there are many factors that will affect their well-being. Several guidelines in providing the care of the newborns have been set and are continuously updated in an attempt to reduce child morbidity and mortality. It is a challenge for the medical professionals to reduce child mortality as advocated by the United Nations Melenium Develppment GoalsAt present, evidenced based practices are Statistics plays a vital role especially in assessing the health conditions of the general public. Modern Medical Guide cited that there is an estimate of more than 100 million babies born worldwide every year (Shyrock, 2000). More than half are born in Asia, and about oneeight in the United States. In the Philippines, statistics shows that per 1,000 population, 26 babies are born annually (www.natiomaster.com), and 82,000 Filipino children die annually which could have been prevented.