Data on births, deaths key to saving lives of poor kids and moms: experts

OTTAWA – For one million babies born every year on this planet, it’s as if they were never here.

That’s how many newborns die on the day of their birth, along with millions more in their first month of life, all without ever having been formally documented.

The lack of vital birth and death registration in poor countries will be a major topic of discussion at this week’s international meeting on improving the plight of children, newborns and mothers in developing countries.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is hosting the three-day conference in Toronto.

Rosemary McCarney, the co-chair of the Canadian Network for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, says birth registration is a key to making progress on the issue.

She says knowing about births, deaths and cause of death is key to bringing down mortality rates and improving the health of the most vulnerable women and children in poor countries.