- Report says simplest measures like hand washing with soap, adequate nutrition and bed nets could significantly improve the health of children in the poorest countries and save millions of lives
- World Vision launches Child Health Now campaign in 100 countries to reduce infant, child and maternal deaths
By World Vision staff
The lives of millions of children in the developing world could be saved if governments rebalance health spending to ensure provision of such low-cost, simple interventions as better nutrition and skilled birth attendants – that even the poorest countries could implement.
A new report from international humanitarian agency World Vision calls on governments to focus on bolstering family and community-level health interventions, some of which cost as little as 30 cents.
World Vision, which is launching a new global advocacy campaign Child Health Now in 100 countries, warns that such life-saving solutions as hand washing with soap, adequate nutrition and bed nets are a priority for too few leaders.
"It's not acceptable that more than 24,000 children are dying every day, most from preventable causes such as diarrhoea, pneumonia, childbirth complications and malaria," says Kevin Jenkins, World Vision International President and CEO.
"This is more than just a problem facing the developing world. It's a 'silent' emergency. And it is, I believe, the greatest child rights violation of our time.
"Our experience has demonstrated that effective health care – through simple, preventive, cost-effective measures – is a leading factor in community development.
"Yet most health spending does not go to prevent the biggest child killers, which are diarrhoea and pneumonia, or on basic essentials like clean, safe water, sanitation and nutritious food."
Mr. Jenkins added, "It is politics, not poverty that is killing these children. The politicians have made many promises, but the truth is that saving mothers and children from death is simply not a priority."
World Vision, which works with children and communities in almost 100 countries, is making a significant financial commitment to health in its own programmes of US$1.5 billion over the next five years. The agency aims to ensure that government leaders deliver on their commitments to reduce child mortality by two-thirds by 2015 – equal to six million children's lives saved each year.
World Vision's report points to the experience of several low income countries† that, through a mix of high-level political commitment and focused policies, have made substantial cuts in child deaths, demonstrating that progress can be made, even in the most resource-constrained contexts.
Equally, the experience of countries such as Burkina Faso, which since 1990 have gone backwards or stalled, testified that business as usual will not achieve results. With the hunger crisis, droughts and flood threats facing countries like Ethiopia and India, addressing life-or-death issues of children's health is even more urgent for governments.
