High child mortality rate

Children who deserve the most attention are victims of utter neglect, particularly in the underdeveloped and developing societies of the world. The figures of child mortality are indeed astounding. One would be shocked to know that everyday 18,000 children under the age of five die of avoidable causes and 216 million children have already died since 1990.

The situation particularly is worse in the rural areas of Pakistan. In fact, as per some reports published by non-government organizations (NGOs), Pakistan has now become the most dangerous country for children under five. Primarily, poverty, lack of training, lack of proper health facilities being provided by the government are the factors contributing towards this grave issue. Lack of education and lack of awareness among the parents are also two significant contributing factors. Diseases that could be cured, if properly dealt with, are causing deaths among the poor children. Some NGOs report that every hour, per day, 40 children die in Pakistan, before celebrating their fifth birthday, thus making it one of the highest child mortality rates in the world.

The difference in child mortality rates between Pakistan and its neighbours is glaring. In fact, the figures are shockingly high. When the ratio in Pakistan is 86 out of every 1000 children, the number is only 41 in Bangladesh and 56 in India. Predictably, India is one of the top ten nations of the region that has made significant strides in cutting down the child mortality rate since 1990. One truly stands perplexed by the above statistics. While the rest of the world is taking strong and apt measures to overcome the menace of child mortality, the rate has gone higher in Pakistan. It is reported that it has risen from 41 percent in 2001 to 43.7 percent in 2012. Undoubtedly, the lives of thousands of children could have been saved had they been provided proper health and medical facilities and proper nourishment.

M FAZAL ELAHI

Islamabad