An unnecessarily high number of infant deaths occur in underprivileged areas of the Netherlands, Labour (PvdA) MP Khadija Arib has told the RTL independent news broadcaster.

"We have inquiry after inquiry. We should be ashamed each time we produce figures. We have to tackle it now, because babies are dying unnecessarily," Ms Arib tells RTL. "Health Minister Edith Schippers has to say how far she plans to reduce infant mortality, giving concrete percentages."

RTL is in possession of a report detailing a relatively high rate of infant mortality in the Antillean, Surinamese and African immigrant communities in the Netherlands. Women from these ethnic groups are 2.5 times more likely than average to lose their babies.

Deprived areas
The rate of infant mortality is also far higher in deprived neighbourhoods, with the Transvaal, Stationsbuurt and the Schilderwijk areas of The Hague scoring especially badly.

"Death rates are relatively high there," explains Ms Arid. "It’s also not just deaths. There are also so many complications with the births. We have to deal with this as well."

She says ignorance and lack of information play a major role in the problems experienced by some immigrant-community women.

(mw/rk/imm)

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