UNICEF Report says China, India Hold Key to Asia Sustaining Improved Child Survival Rates | Voice of America - English
A United Nations report says governments in the Asia and the Pacific need to step up spending on public health systems and lower income disparities to ensure child survival rates are sustained. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, the U.N.
The report, released by theUnited Nations Childrens Fund says Asia Pacific's buoyant economicgrowth of the past decade has been a key contributor to reducing infantand child mortality rates across the region. Anupama Rao Singh,UNICEF regional director, says the report notes progress over the pasttwo decades, although there are signs gains have slowed over recentyears. In 1970 the annual number of under five deaths was 10.5million. By 1990 this figure fell to 6.7 million. By 2006 this haddeclined to four million deaths. "There has been good progressin the decline of infant and child mortality rates if you compare itfrom the 1970s to date," said Rao Singh. "Many countries are on trackto achieving the millennium development goals of reducing infant andchild mortality by two-thirds by 2015." The report says Chinaand India hold the key to the region achieving the millenniumdevelopment goals in child survival. China, India and Pakistan arethree of six countries which globally account for half of all deaths ofchildren under five. In China, two-thirds of the country's underfive deaths were neonatal with almost 80 percent occurring in the firstweek of life. But Rao Singh says China appears on target on achieving its infant and child mortality targets. "Chinahas made tremendous progress," she said. "As far as China is really addressingmortality and child deaths in the first four weeks of life; it's very,very closely linked. Clearly, China is in terms of nationalaverages and norms clearly on a path of achieving the millenniumdevelopment goal of two thirds reduction." In India the reportcalls for major improvements in health, nutrition, water andsanitation, and education to achieve its millennium goals. India has127 million children under five years. In 2006 it reported over twomillion under five years dying. It also pointed to "extremeproblems" faced by Afghanistan, which has the third highest rate ofunder five mortality in the world. In contrast, Sri Lanka has mademajor gains in reducing child mortality over recent years despiteongoing conflict. A high burden of neonatal deaths occurs due toinsufficient maternal health care services, and maternal undernutrition. Pneumonia and diarroeheal diseases as well as measles alsoclaim many young lives. Widening income disparities in SouthEast Asia also put more children at risk despite gains against abackdrop of declines in public health spending that add to burdens onthe poor. Rao Singh says it is vital Asia achieves its goals onimproving child survival rates. "If Asia does not achieve theMillennium Development Goals of reducing mortality by two thirds theworld will not achieve them," she said. "Our estimates 9.7 millionchildren under five died last year - more than four million were inAsia alone. So the achievement of these goals in Asia is going to beof global significance." Urbanization and a shortage of skilledhealth workers are also having a "marked effect" on inequity affectingthe lowest income groups. Governments need to increase and sustainbudget spending over the next decade to ensure countries reach thegoals on infant and child mortality. The report says if the AsiaPacific fails to extend essential services to the poor and marginalizedgroups and narrow income disparities it may lead to one million childdeaths in Asia Pacific in 2015 that would have otherwise been avertedhad the development goals been reached.