Poor facilities at tertiary care units leading cause of infant deaths: Expert

Wraa Noor

Islamabad: In Pakistan, the mortality rate of pneumonia is 72 deaths per thousand live births under the age of five, which is an alarming rate, apprised PIMS Child Specialist Dr Traiq.

“In the winter season, viral infections become more common, and the tertiary care hospitals (TCH) lack the required bed facilities and nebulizer treatment on a daily basis for patients.

Due to the poor economic status of most of the populace, most of them cannot afford the treatment or even buy a nebulizer to give treatment to their child at home, since nebulization is the most common treatment for pneumonia,” he stated.

Dr Tariq further mentioned that children in peripheral hospitals are not properly diagnosed, so when they are transferred to the centre hospitals, the viral pneumonia causes respiratory failure and bacterial super infection, which eventually lead to respiratory or cardiac failure.

Mortality rate of pneumonia is 72 deaths per thousand live births under five: Dr Tariq 

Moreover, since every child requires ICU care, ventilators, and third- and fourth-generation antibiotics, and there is an inadequacy of oxygen supply and nebulizers in hospitals; thus our TCHs get overburdened, the child specialist added.

It is to mention here that Pakistan is yet not able to prevent the prevalence of this disease among children due to the poor availability of essential medical supplies, poor vaccination compliance, and the lower socio-economic status.

At the federal and national levels, the budget allocation to health care is meager, as Pakistan spends less than one percent of its GDP on healthcare and has a fragile health system.

The health sector is in dire need of enhanced budget allocation, therefore the federal budget needs to strengthen the health sector by timely investing greater funds in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

Situation in KP’s Hospitals

In three of Peshawar’s major hospitals, as many as over 70 children died of pneumonia and more than 440 paediatric pneumonia cases were brought to Khyber Teaching Hospital in December, as per the report filed by APP Peshawar Bureau referring data of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Department.

Spokesman of the hospital Sajjad Ahmad stated that a total of 53 kids in Khyber Teaching Hospital passed away from the common cold and pneumonia, while 10 more kids in Hayatabad Medical Complex passed away after being admitted to the hospital after their health did not get better at home, as per the APP report.

The Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) spokeswoman acknowledged the official’s claim that 200 kids have been admitted to the hospital for treatment of pneumonia. She said at least 11 patients with pneumonia are currently admitted to the hospital this time.

75 Paediatric Pneumonia Deaths, 447 Cases Recorded in Peshawar: APP reports

Lady Reading Hospital Spokesman Muhammad Asim affirmed that 300 paediatric pneumonia cases were brought to Lady Reading Hospital and 12 children died of pneumonia, with the majority of those who were affected by cold and pneumonia living in the suburbs.

Chest Specialist Dr Mustafa Kamal told that children’s health has declined in dry regions as a result of inadequate care.

He mentioned that rain has fallen throughout the majority of KP, including Bannu, and that as a result, the health of children living in arid areas would improve.

The South Asian country is considered one of the third-world nations when it comes to children’s health, and the most common cause of death among children younger than five is viral or bacterial infection; the first most prevailing cause of death is pneumonia and the second is diarrhoea. Additional input from APP