With an infant mortality rate of 4.2 per 1,000 live births, the province of Pinar del Río ranked second in the country behind Sancti Spiritus, which had a rate of 3.5, both below the national target of 5.9.
Dr. María Teresa Machín López-Portilla, director of the Maternal and Infant Care Program (PAMI) in the western territory, highlighted that the municipalities of San Luis, Guane and Minas de Matahambre reported no deaths in the stage where low birth weight was also reduced, with 92 fewer cases than in 2023.
She notes that there has been a decline in births, a demographic trend that has continued in recent years.
Pointing to prematurity, high blood pressure during pregnancy and intrauterine growth retardation as the main causes of infant and maternal mortality, she said that nine of the 11 municipalities had maintained this indicator at zero.
School-age deaths were reduced by six with respect to the previous period, Machín López-Portilla assured that these results reflect the integrated work of primary health care, the neonatal service of the Abel Santamaría Cuadrado Hospital and the pediatric intensive care unit, which achieves a 99 percent survival rate for patients on artificial respiration.
Last year they were recognized as an Outstanding Province and the Jesús Menéndez Medal was awarded to PAMI for their work in this area.
