Kathmandu, March 10 Paediatricians have urged the government to avail the drugs needed for newborns at an affordable price across the country. As per Nepal’s Sustainable Development Goals for newborns and under-five mortality rates, the targets are to reduce them from 23 and 38 per thousand live births in 2015 to 10 and 22 respectively by 2030. “We haven’t met the target in 2015 and if we do not take an initiation today we will not be able to meet the 2030 target,” said Dr Sunil Raja Manandhar, an associate professor and chief of Neonatal Division at Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital. “To meet the SDGs we do not only need women to deliver at health centres, the health centres should also be equipped with neonatal intensive care unit and facilities for the treatment of the newborns,” Dr Manandhar further added. The doctors highlighted major problems of the newborns and preterm babies during the eleventh conference of Perinatal Society of Nepal held in the capital. The two-day conference discussed about ways to reduce newborn mortality and maternal mortality in the country. The conference also highlighted the need to extend neonatal health care facilities all across the country. The paper presenters during the two-day conference talked about the fetal cardiograph of the preterm babies and also shared challenges of perinatal care. A total of 120 doctors from Nepal and India presented papers in the conference. ‘Challenges in Perinatal Care for reaching SDGs 2030’, ‘Experience of Fetal Cardiograph at Dhulikhel Hospital’, ‘Outcome of Surfactant Replacement Therapy in Preterm babies with Hyaline Membrane Disease at Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital’ were the major paper presentation topics. The presenters also presented case reports informing how quality health service will help to save children’s life. The conference aimed to share experiences and inform people about technologies used in the health care of the newborns and to identify some of the challenges and difficulties faced in the field.