TEHRAN – Thanks to developing neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and training more than 400 experts in the field in the country, the country has managed to lower the infant mortality rate from 30 deaths to 7 deaths per 1,000 live births over the past forty years, an expert at the Iranian Neonatal Health Congress has said.

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, Iran had the lowest infant mortality rate in the region. Following the pandemic, some Persian Gulf states have managed to drop the infant mortality rate to 5 deaths per 1,000 live births, IRNA quoted Hadi Samaei as saying.

Upgrading vital equipment such as ventilators, advanced monitoring systems, and smart temperature monitoring systems, as well as improving access to newborn health products, are on the agenda of the health ministry, the official added.

The country has also been successful in preventing infectious diseases that are prevalent among infants and children in the past few decades. Recently, the health ministry has launched vaccination programs, including those for rotavirus, pneumococcal, rabies, and pentavalent vaccines to immunize children against life-threatening diseases.

In October 2023, a hospital for children, the most advanced one of its kind in the country, was officially inaugurated by the late President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran.

The hospital, named Hakim, comprises 19 specialized clinics, emergency medical services, surgery rooms, medical imaging, cardiography, a behavioral intensive care unit (BICU), and a neonatal intensive care unit, totally equipped with 266 beds.

The building has been designed according to the physical and mental needs of children. Green space and natural light, easy access, and welfare services for children and their companions are among the most important design features of the hospital.

It is also equipped with a biological water treatment plant, making it the first green hospital in the country.

MT/MG