Child Health Policy
Child Health
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic it was estimated that 52 million children under the age of five would die by 2030, largely of preventable causes including limited access to primary health care (PHC), unequal access to vaccines, pneumonia, malnutrition and diarrhoea. Progress on child survival had stalled due to a lack of political commitment and leadership and the world was off course to reach SDG target 3.2.
COVID-19 has put children’s futures further at risk. Early UNICEF modelling estimated that an additional 6,000 children and 300 mothers could die each day as a result of the pandemic and its wider impacts including, but not limited to, the strain put on health systems and economies and the consequences of pandemic control measures like lockdowns. Further information can be found in UNICEF UK’s 2021 report, A Future At Risk: The UK’s role in addressing the impact of Covid-19 on children’s right to health and education.
Strong health systems are essential to enabling the realisation of children’s right to health as enshrined in the UN Convention on Child Rights. As the UK National Committee for UNCIEF we are working to ensure the UK governments leads on creating and championing strengthened health systems for children within, through and beyond COVID-19. We are working to ensure the government’s global health strategies, including the soon to be published Ending Preventable Deaths Action Plan, its investments and its leadership and governance roles in the global health institutions lead to stronger health systems for children.
Case Study from the Future’s at Risk Report- Impact of COVID-19 on Essential Health Services in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, uptake of critical health services for under-five children has decreased significantly due to COVID-19. The service utilisation for children under 5 years of age in March 2020 was down 25% compared to March 2019.
The uptake of maternal and newborn health services has also declined by around 19%. Key
maternal health services such as antenatal care visits and postnatal check-ups in health facilities have decreased substantially, and deliveries in facilities have been reduced by 21% for the period of January to March 2020, compared with October to December 2019.
Due to the pandemic, Bangladesh also had to postpone a measles and rubella immunisation
campaign targeting 34 million children aged 9 months to 9 years. Though routine immunisation sessions have continued, many outreach interventions were suspended, and the
transportation of vaccines remains challenging.
UNICEF has been working with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to maintain routine
essential maternal, newborn and child health services. The Ministry has recruited an additional 2,000 doctors and 5,000 nurses to help overcome the challenges. More investments in health are needed now more than ever to strengthen the health system in Bangladesh.