200 million children deprived of health care worldwide
Will my child make it to her/his fifth birthday? This is the uncertainty facing 10 million mothers around the world – one-fifth of whom are in India.
The report includes the first-ever Basic Health Care Report Card of 55 developing countries that shows which countries are doing the best and the worst at reaching children with basic health care. Together these countries account for nearly 60% of the world's under-five population and 83% of all child deaths worldwide. The report also points to widening health care inequalities effecting child survival rates. It looks at 52 countries comparing children who are better off and those who are very poor. Within countries, poor children are dying in much greater numbers than the best-off children. In 12 of the 55 countries, the poorest children are three or more times more likely to die than the richest children. These countries include Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bolivia, Cambodia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and the Philippines. In India 53% of under five-year olds do not have any access to basic health care. "Child survival is one of the most pressing moral challenges of our time" says Shireen Vakil Miller of Save the Children's Head of Policy and Advocacy. "A child's chance of making it to its fifth birthday depends on the state or community it is born into. This sounds like a lottery, something beyond human control, but this should not be the case. While poverty and inequality are consistent underlying causes of child deaths, all states, even the poorest, can cut child mortality if they pursue the right policies and prioritise their poorest, and most marginalised families,” Shireen added. Disturbing facts Among the 55 countries evaluated in the Basic Health Care Report Card, the Philippines, Peru, South Africa and Indonesia / Turkmenistan (tied) are doing the best job in getting basic health care to all children under age five. Countries doing the worst are Lao People's Democratic Republic, Yemen, Chad, Somalia and Ethiopia. Nearly all under-five deaths (99%) occur in developing countries. Within countries the poorest children are least likely to get lifesaving health care and are more likely to die. In India and Indonesia, the poorest children are three or more times more likely to die before reaching their fifth birthday. In Asia large disparities are seen, for example, the Philippines ranks first and India ranks 29th on the report card. If all children - rich and poor alike - were to receive a full package of essential health care, more than six million lives would be saved each year. Closing the survival gaps in India and Nigeria alone would prevent nearly 20% of global child deaths. In more developed countries, children most lacking in basic health care and at risk of dying tend to be from low-income, ethnic minority groups. In the United States, America-Indian and Alaska-Native infants are nearly 50% more likely to die than white infants, and African American infants are 2.4 times more likely to die than white infants. The biggest killers of children worldwide are newborn complications, pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria. In addition to its special focus on the child survival gap, the report includes Save the Children's ninth annual Mothers' Index, which identifies the best and worst countries to be a mother and child by looking at child and maternal well-being in 146 countries. Sweden takes top place, while Niger takes last place in the ranking. The United States places 27th. Some recommendations Design health care programmes to better target the poorest and most marginalised mothers and children. To save lives, we need to close the coverage gap for all children, but especially the gap between the rich and poor. Invest in community health workers to reach the poorest of the poor with essential life-saving care. Many children die from causes that do not require doctors or hospitals, and could be saved by training, equipping and deploying more community health workers who can deliver this basic health care. Deliver a basic package of maternal, newborn and child health care that takes into account the realities for poor people in developing countries. The tools to save mothers' and children's lives work best when they are delivered together as a package and along a "continuum of care" that links communities, local health facilities and hospitals. Most health systems devote significant resources to hospital-based care, but most sick children in developing countries never make it to a hospital. For more information, please contact Anuradha C. Maharishi, Media and Communications Manager, Save the Children: Mobile: 91 9811626122 Email: a.maharishi@savethechildren.in Source: Save the Children, India |
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