Survey shows Fiji has achieved SDG 2030 target of reaching below 12 deaths per 1,000 live births for neonatal mortality rate

Fiji has achieved the Sustainable Development Goal 2030 target of reaching below 12 deaths per 1,000 live births for neonatal mortality rate and 25 deaths per 1,000 live births for under-five mortality rate.

This is based on the Fiji Bureau of Statistics Fiji Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) which was carried out in 2021 in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Medical Services and other government ministries, as part of the Global MICS Programme.

The under-five mortality rate is higher for children in urban areas compared to those in rural areas. It is also three times higher among children born to mothers with primary or lower level of education compared to children born to mothers with tertiary or vocational level of education.

UNICEF Pacific’s Representative, Jonathan Veitch says Fiji is the fifth country in the Pacific region to release the final results.

Since 2018, eight Pacific Island countries, including the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, have joined this round of the MICS programme, which is the sixth round globally.

Veitch says the Fiji MICS 2021 has produced data and evidence on important issues including child mortality, health, nutrition, education, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene.

He says these include indicators that are being produced for the first-time, such as drinking water quality, learning skills of children and child functioning.

For example, amongst countries in the region, Fiji has the highest coverage in antenatal care, with 98 per cent of women having at least one health visit during their last pregnancy.

The Survey also reveals areas for further development.

81 per cent of children in Fiji aged between 1 to 14 years have experienced violent discipline, where caregivers used either physical punishment or psychological aggression to discipline children.

Veitch says the physical harm this can cause, stress associated with violence in early childhood can permanently impair brain development and damage other parts of the nervous system.

With the new and disaggregated data available, it is crucial for us to use this data to prioritize our efforts to focus on the most vulnerable, inform policy and equitably allocate the resources required to address disparities.