Indian Ministry Suppresses UNICEF Data on Child Malnutrition Problems in Gujarat Read more: Indian Ministry Suppresses UNICEF Data on Child Malnutrition Problems in Gujarat

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Indian Ministry Suppresses UNICEF Data on Child Malnutrition Problems in Gujarat  Read more: Indian Ministry Suppresses UNICEF Data on Child Malnutrition Problems in Gujarat

The Women and Child Development ministry suppressed part of the UNICEF report on child health in India. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel questioned the government for not releasing the data on child malnutrition and immunization problems in Gujarat and a few other states.

"I find it surprising that in October 2014, the women and child development ministry chose to publish only a part of this report, but excluded states such as Gujarat which has a chronic problem of malnutrition and child immunization," Patel said in a letter to Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi.

The Rapid Survey of Children (RSOC) 2013-2014 was commissioned by the women and child development ministry in association with UNICEF.

"While the government may have its reasons for not releasing the report to the national audience, it remains inexplicable as to how foreign agencies such as the US-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) got access to this data," said Patel, the political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

"The IFPRI has used data from RSOC 2013-2014 to publish its first ever global nutrition report last year," he said.

Patel said that lack of reliable and relevant data is one of the major constraints in formulating policies pertaining to public health.

"The last publicly available data on health and nutrition is more than eight years old. Given that the previous government had invested significantly in schemes such as the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and Intergrated Child Development Services (ICDS), India would have seen a marked improvement in her health care indicators overt the last decade," he said.

Patel said in his letter that RSOC 2013-2014 has a substantial sample size covering all major states and its disclosure will not only benefit agencies but also the academia and civil society working in the field of public health.

"I believe that the release of the report will also veer public discourse and attention towards less discussed matters such as malnutrition and infant mortality,"

Child health in Pakistan

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Child health in Pakistan:

ACCESS to child healthcare and education is a challenge primarily in rural areas of the country and many families simply cannot afford basic healthcare or education.

It is likely that today’s economic catastrophe, especially the increase in food prices, will have a widespread negative impact on children’s education and health.

The situation of child health in Pakistan is abysmal, and serious efforts are needed by the government and civil society to save lives of thousands of children who die every year from preventable diseases.

Medical reports reveal that one child dies every minute from EPI (expanded programme on immunization) diseases, diarrhea and acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI). They also reveal that every year about 400,000 infants die in the first year of their life.

Child health in Pakistan is among the most important national issues that need serious attention. Child mortality in a major cause of concern, with every one among 10 children dying before reaching the age of five and one among 30, just after they are born.

The main reason at the back of mounting child mortality in Pakistan is lack of child healthcare facilities in rural areas, where the majority of population lives.

Low state spending on healthcare, abject poverty, low literacy, lack of skilled birth attendants, widespread communicable diseases, insufficient emergency child health services in government-run district and rural hospitals are amongst other major reasons behind growing diseases in children.

Maternal, newborn and child healthcare statistics in Pakistan are some of the poorest in South Asia. A holistic approach is needed to improve maternal and newborn health, mainly by improving and upgrading facilities at the district hospitals.

Most common and lethal diseases in Pakistan include ARTI, viral hepatitis, malaria, diarrhea, dysentery, scabies, goiter, hepatitis and tuberculosis. Among ARTI victims most vulnerable are children whose immune systems have been weakened by malnutrition.

In order to save lives of children, paediatric institutes should be opened in all districts of Pakistan, where emergency services along with trained child disease experts should be made available all the time.

DR HASSAN ANJUM SHAHID
President, Young Physiotherapists Association, Punjab
Lahore