THIS country does not appear to have any qualms about jeopardising its own future. Another disturbing report about the state of our children confirms systemic apathy towards their wellbeing and underscores the government’s failure to alleviate poverty, malnutrition and pollution. The Punjab caretaker government has said that at least 36 children died of pneumonia in 10 days. Last year, the disease killed thousands of children in Pakistan as a vast swathe of the child population is unimmunised or under-immunised. In 2019, WHO declared that pneumonia “accounts for 14 per cent of all deaths of under five-year-old children”, and was termed “the biggest infectious killer of children worldwide” by Unicef, with one child dying every 43 seconds from the affliction.
We cannot turn away from the fact that these deaths are avoidable: pneumonia is vaccine-preventable and takes the lives of underprivileged children in poor countries. Time-worn practices — breastfeeding for six months, clean water and decent sanitation, hygiene, wholesome sustenance for infants, warm clothing and proper ventilation — guarantee marked progress in saving lives. Studies also show that nearly half of pneumonia casualties are caused by pollution. But to eliminate the scourge, efforts to provide basic needs have to be persistent. In a world where vaccines have wiped out major ailments, the absence of prevention plans in the country is inexcusable. Moreover, Pakistan has the third highest deaths from pneumonia in the world, hence immunisation drives, especially in slums and rural areas, are the need of the hour. An expanding population does, admittedly, hinder the allocation of medical supplies and other facilities. Therefore, a definitive way out lies in political parties resolving to heal the people with health policies that endure beyond election campaigns, making services, nutrition, vaccines, adequate implementation and unselective healthcare visible on the ground from the start of their tenures. Children in fragile conditions cannot be rescued with broken health systems.
Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2024
