ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of Health, in partnership with 'Save the Children, an NGO, on Monday launched its national maternal newborn and child health communication strategy framework for Pakistan to reduce the number of preventable deaths of children under the age 5. Research shows that more than two-thirds of all newborn deaths (2.7 million out of 4 million each year) occur in just 10 countries. And just four countries with large populations including India, China, Pakistan and Nigeria account for more than half. Keeping in view reducing the number of preventable deaths of children under the age five, the Ministry of Health on Monday convened a meeting of key stakeholders of MNCH for sensitising them on the upcoming Newborn and Child Survival (NCS) campaign. The NCS is a global campaign and in Pakistan is expected to be a platform, where different stakeholders from public and private sectors and civil society would join hands for the welfare of children. The campaign would be launched under the leadership of Ministry of Health and in partnership with other key stakeholders from the civil society with the aim of tackling the issue of newborn and child survival. The national maternal and newborn child health programme of the Ministry of Health would serve as the focal point for this campaign and 'Save the Children will provide technical support for the implementation of the campaign. In the meeting, the representatives from Lady Health Worker Programme, donors and other partners and UN agencies expressed support for making NCS campaign successful and took it as a serious effort to improve newborn and child survival opportunities. At the occasion the Health Ministry in collaboration with 'Save the Children launched its national maternal newborn and child health communication strategy framework for Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, the manager of MNCH Programme of Ministry of Health, Dr Noor Baloch informed that the NCS Pakistan was part of a global effort to address the issue of preventable deaths of children under 5. He said, We need nothing less than a new 'child survival revolution and helps deliver massive reductions in child mortality. Every child no matter where or to whom they are born has an equal right and deserves an equal chance to survive. It is unjustifiable that children still die from pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and other conditions that the world has both the knowledge and resources to cure. In 2000, the worlds leaders agreed, making a commitment to 'reduce the under-five mortality rate by two thirds by 2015 in MDG 4.