Leaders urged to act on infant mortality rate

At least 473 children under five years of age die in Kenya every day due to preventable causes, a recent report reveals.

The report, titled “Countdown to 2015: The role of Parliamentarians in accelerating the attainment of MDGs 4 and 5 in Kenya”, was compiled by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation and that of Medical Services.

The report further indicates that one out of every nine children born alive dies before their fifth birthday, and that at the end of one hour, five more new-born babies will have died.

Preventable causes

It cites the following causes: complications in pregnancy and child birth, and newborn illness. It also cites pneumonia and diarrhoea, which account for 20 per cent and 17 per cent of the deaths respectively.

Other causes reported are malaria and HIV/Aids, which account for 14 per cent and 15 per cent of the deaths.

The report says malnutrition is also an underlying factor. Other preventable causes include lack of safe water, basic hygiene and sanitation and inability to access health services due to poor roads.

In addition, poor transport and communication systems, and low utilisation of health services due to lack of equipment, supplies and qualified staff.

Lack of knowledge on appropriate interventions that can save lives at household and community levels and harmful traditional practices, myths and misconceptions regarding reproductive and child health have also been cited as causes of child mortality.

And the report calls for urgent action if the situation is to be brought under control. Shortage of staff and sometimes availability of unskilled and unmotivated manpower at public hospitals should immediately be redressed, the report recommends.

It urges the authorities to look into the issue of poor infrastructure such as outdated facilities and equipment, referral system and poor communication.

It also calls for a fresh look into health financing. The report paints a grim picture of the situation, casting aspersions on the ability of the country to attain Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5, which aim at reducing child mortality and improving maternal health respectively by the year 2015.

This, according to the report, is because child mortality has been on the increase in the last 19 years and maternal mortality deteriorating within the same period.

According to the report, child deaths increased from 90 in every 1,000 births in 1990 to 121 in 2003. Maternal mortality stands at 560 in every 100,000 births.

The report says the situation can be rectified if there is political will among parliamentarians and other groups.