Pal pal pal, pal har pal har pal, kaise katega pal har pal har pal? While this song perfectly captures our emotions during this lockdown, seems like couples in India are already humming the “Hum tum ek kamre main band ho” tune.
As per a latest UN report, India is expected to witness a massive baby boom this year, with a significant surge in the number of babies born between the months of March and December 2020.
Global Baby Boom With India In The Lead
According to a UNICEF report, India is expected to have highest numbers of birth since the coronavirus was declared as a pandemic.
With 20.1 million babies projected to be born between March 11 and December 16, India is clearly in the lead. Following India is China at 13.5 million births, Nigeria at 6.4 million, Pakistan at 5 million and Indonesia at 4 million births respectively.
Globally too, the baby boom will see an estimated 116 million births, all of whom will be born under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Baby Boom Will Put Mothers And Newborns At Risk Due To COVID-19
While this seems hilarious on the surface, it is quite worrisome as you dig deeper. According to UNICEF, millions of pregnant mothers and their babies are at great risk as they would be struggling to access reproductive and non-COVID healthcare services during these coronavirus-induced lockdowns and containment measures.
Women in rural areas are expected to suffer more, as access to midwives and other support staff will be restricted. Similarly, immunization and family welfare programs have also been restricted due to COVID-19 measures.
However, What is more alarming is the fact that most of the countries which are expected to witness a baby boom already have ‘high neonatal mortality rates’, which according to the UNICEF could further increase with COVID-19 conditions. In India, the neonatal mortality rate is high at 25.4 per 1000 live births.
With Mother’s Day just round the corner, the UNICEF has issued an urgent appeal to governments and health care providers across the world to prioritize and help pregnant women in all possible ways.
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