Philippines Doing Better on Child Vaccinations
Save the Children has recognized the efforts of the Philippine Department of Health in making sure that the basic health needs of children are met. According to the organization, the Philippines, along with Peru, are the best among developing nations when it comes to child vaccinations and treatment.
The rankings were based on data that included immunization against childhood diseases such as malaria and tetanus, access to treatment for leading childhood killers such as diarrhea and pneumonia, prenatal care and other factors.
… “The Philippines nearly cut its child death rate in half since 1990. The health ministry, through USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) support, launched a number of health initiatives in 1989, including a push to increase access to oral rehydration therapy to treat diarrhea,” David Oot, who heads the group’s global health programs, told reporters.
The improvement doesn’t mean that the government can rest on these laurels. Much still needs to be done. Remember that this comparison is among developing nations. When compared to the rest of the world, the Philippines still has much to go to .
The report also cites that as much as 31% of children under 5 are still missing out on basic health care. And there is still a large gap between the medical options available to the rich and poor. Until this gap narrows, and each child can be vacci
nated against the most common childhood diseases, the Health Department should continue to push for better and more accessible health care all over the country. They have done a better job in the last years, and should continue to build on this foundation.
via Reuters; Creative Commons image by ad-vantage on Flickr
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