Maternal
& child health

The neonatal period is the most vulnerable stage of life. In Pakistan, congenital anomalies are a leading cause of neonatal mortality, yet routine screening and national data systems remain limited. In Bangladesh, approximately 16% of babies are born prematurely each year, placing thousands at risk of preventable blindness due to Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).

IRD’s Neonatal Program strengthens early detection and national health systems to improve newborn survival and long-term outcomes. Through Pakistan’s first congenital anomalies registry and Bangladesh’s first national ROP guidelines and reporting systems, the program shifts neonatal care from missed diagnoses to structured, system-wide response.

By embedding standardized screening in neonatal units, training frontline health workers, integrating digital reporting, and establishing referral pathways to specialist care, IRD enables timely diagnosis and intervention at scale.

Through early detection and government-owned systems strengthening, IRD is helping ensure that the first days of life do not determine a lifetime of preventable disability.