The plight of children

Judiciary is assessing competence of federal, provincial governments after reports that 144,000 children died in 2014

The Supreme Court of Pakistan recently summoned the federal and provincial health secretaries over the condition of child health care in the country. The judiciary is assessing the competence of federal and provincial governments in performing their jobs after news came to light that 144,000 children died in 2014 from pneumonia and diarrhoea. Deaths from such diseases, which though can be deadly, can be easily prevented with proper care. The citizens of the country owe some thanks to prominent columnists who authored articles in newspapers, pleading government officials to take action. Those articles have become part of the Supreme Court’s suo-motu petition.

While the top Court’s concern in the matter is welcome, ideally, it should not have needed to take suo-motu action just so that governments can be pushed into performing their jobs honestly. The health departments at the provincial and federal levels should be aware of the statistics and understand their responsibilities towards assuaging children’s suffering. It should also be noted that many of the health care concerns we face, apart from problems related to vaccination programmes, also point to a lack in sanitation, which is culpable for a slew of health problems across the country.

The same statistics come up over and over again, with little improvement seen on the ground. Infant mortality rates remain high and neonatal care is of poor quality — that is, if it is accessible at all. In “The State of the World’s Children 2014” report by Unicef, the mortality rate for children under the age of five is 8.6 per cent. According to statistics for the year 2012, one in every three children under the age of five was underweight. The connection between malnutrition, under-nourishment and poor health is obvious as the body and vulnerable immune system of the child have little nutrients to protect themselves from disease — a problem which is compounded by ill-equipped, unhygienic hospitals and incompetent staff. We welcome the Supreme Court’s concern in this vital area and hope the unnecessary suffering of children is reduced.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd,  2015.

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