‘Access to quality health services a must’

LUCKNOW : An estimated 6.3 million children under 15 years of age died in 2017 ( one every 5 seconds) mostly of preventable causes, according to new mortality estimates released by Unicef, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Population Division and the World Bank Group.

“Without immediate action, 56 million children under five will die from now until 2030– half of them newborns,” said Laurence Chandy, Unicef director of data, research and policy, in a press statement.

Majority of these deaths, 5.4 million, occurs in the first five years of life, with newborns accounting for around half of the deaths. Most children under 5 die due to preventable or treatable

› Without immediate action, 56 million children under five will die from now until 2030– half of them newborns. LAURENCE CHANDY, UNICEF director of data, research and policy

causes such as complications during birth, pneumonia, diarrhoea, neonatal sepsis and malaria. In comparison, among children between 5 and 14 years of age, injuries become a more prominent cause of death, especially from drowning and road mishaps.

In India, the sex-specific under-five mortality rate (deaths per 1000 live births) among females was 130 in 1990 which was recorded at 40 in 2017. Similarly, the rate of death among male children in 1990 was 122 which was recorded at 39 in 2017.

The infant mortality rate (deaths per 1000 live births) was 89 in 1990 and in 2017 it was 32. The neonatal mortality rate (deaths per 1000 live births) in 1990 was 57 and 24 in 2017.

Probability of dying among children aged 5-14 years (deaths per 1000 children aged 5) was 21 in 1990 and in 2017 it was 6. The number of deaths among children aged 5-14 (thousands) was 448 in 1990 and in 2017 it was recorded at 152.

“Millions of babies and children should still not be dying every year from lack of access to water, sanitation, proper nutrition or basic health services,” said Dr Princess Nono Simelela, assistant director-general for family, women and children’s health at WHO.

“We must prioritise providing universal access to quality health services for every child, particularly at the time of birth and through the early years, to give the best possible chance to survive and thrive,” Dr Simelela said.

For children everywhere, the most risky period of life is the first month.

In 2017, 2.5 million newborns died in their first month. Even within countries, disparities persist.

Under-five mortality rates among children in rural areas are, on average, 50% higher than among children in urban areas. In addition, those born to uneducated mothers are more than twice as likely to die before turning five, than those born to mothers with a secondary or higher education.