Paediatricians seek economic stability, security to tackle child mortality

The Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) has urged the federal government to stabilise the economy and address insecurity to enable families to overcome the factors contributing to Nigeria’s high child mortality rate.

Ekanem Ekure, PAN president in an address on Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary said current economic difficulties have impoverished many households, causing deficiency of micronutrients and starvation among children.

She noted that experts are increasingly observing a gradual return of severe cases of malnutrition to hospitals and the re-emergence of previously controlled infectious diseases such as measles, diphtheria, and cholera.

“We commend the Nigerian government on the ongoing efforts at reducing the impact of the ensuing economic hardships on the wellbeing of families. It is also desirable to further stabilise the currency and improve the purchasing powers of families,” the president said.

Apart from the recent increase in the minimum wage for government workers, Ekure urged more efforts to increase the productivity of goods and services to stem accompanying inflation.

She noted that the distribution pattern of essential food commodities as reliefs to families needs to be reviewed to prevent the “middleman” effect which makes the food commodities unavailable to the desired end-consumers.

The president further encouraged governments at all levels to double up efforts to rid the country of banditry and other forms of insecurity, stating that this will contribute to economic stability, allow better family finances, and improve school enrolment.

In addition, it encouraged the government at all levels to improve the funding of the National Health Insurance Scheme and widen its scope, particularly for children whose parents are not government employees.

“PAN is aware that the problem of insecurity is a major threat to economic growth, social stability, and financial strength of families,” Ekure said. “Beyond childhood, PAN is also worried about the spreading scourge of addictions among adolescents and youths and the associated damaging effects.”

While commending improvement in the survival rate of Nigerian children now compared to the 1990s, Ekure said an unacceptably high proportion of Nigerian children are not vaccinated, exposing them to fatal risks.

She also noted that low vaccine coverage rates may likely decline further in the months to come due to the current socioeconomic and security challenges, especially in areas that recently witnessed natural disasters.

“PAN is concerned about the problem of “zero-dose” children who have never been immunised. We recently keyed into the global drive to protect the girl child against the Human Papillomavirus infection with a globally recommended vaccine. This vaccine is currently available, and advocacies are ongoing all over the country in its support. PAN appreciates the huge support received from the government as well as our international collaborators on this project and hopes the coming malaria vaccine will receive similar support,” she said.