By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
A Nutritionist and Community Paediatrician, professor Tamarat Runsewe-Abiodun, has called for concerted efforts to tackle under – five mortality rate in the country in order to attain child health-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Prof. Runsewe – Abiodun, who is of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State said aside training of more personnel in pediatrics to arrest the situation, she added that the government and policy makers should also create an enabling environment to retain medical professionals in the country and discourage them from taking the Japa option.
She identified under – five healthcare services in the country as one of the areas where Japa syndrome is taking a huge toll, adding that Nigeria currently has the second-highest under-five mortality rate globally.
Citing the number as 107 deaths per 1,000 live births for the country, closely coming after Niger Republic, which has 117 deaths per 1,000 live births, she warned that Nigeria is among the nations where about 35 million under -five children will die before 2030.
The Professor of Nutrition and Community Pediatrics made this known while delivering the 121st inaugural lecture of the Olabisi Onabanjo University(OOU) held at the Otunba Gbenga Daniel Hall within the institution’s permanent site in Ago Iwoye.on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
The lecture was titled, ‘Nurturing the African Child in the Community: The Paediatrician’s Endless Odyssey?
Runsewe-Abiodun revealed that in 2022 alone, about five million children under five years of age died worldwide, with 57% of these deaths occurring in Africa.
She said, “In 2023 alone, a report from the Federal Ministry of Health revealed that 3,122 doctors left the system, with 2,134 relocating to Europe,” she explained. “A recent WHO report indicates that for every 10,000 Nigerians, there are only four doctors available, far below the WHO recommendation of one doctor for every 600 people.
“Globally, unless urgent action is taken to end preventable newborn and child deaths, Nigeria, along with many other low-income and lower-middle-income countries, will fail to meet the SDG targets.
“About 35 million children under the age of five are projected to die before 2030, with the majority coming from families in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia, and other low-income regions.”
She urged all levels of government to prioritise efforts to protect every newborn’s and child’s right to survival.
She called for decisive action to halt the mass emigration of health workers and ensure adequate manpower for healthcare delivery.
She also recommended that paediatric training should be community-focused and called for increased funding to enable medical students to gain practical experience in underserved communities.
Additionally, she urged governments at all levels to boost health sector funding and ensure universal health coverage to help reduce the growing under-five mortality rate.
