Health systems and services
The growth and ageing of populations, and the spread of diseases such as AIDS, combined with growing demand for access to health care, are threatening to erode the gains made in child health in developing countries over the past 20 years.
Improving the coverage, quality and access of essential and sustainable child health services to vulnerable groups in low resource countries is a complex process. Sector wide health reforms that are pro-poor, maximise effective use of resources through financing mechanisms such as social health insurance schemes, and promote best practices for quality care and appropriate roles for the public and private sectors, are most likely to result in improved child health outcomes.
- Continuum of care for maternal, newborn, and child health: from slogan to service delivery
- This article from The Lancet revisits the idea of a ‘continuum of care’ for mothers, children and newborns. The term, often used as a slogan, usually refers to continuity of individual care and of places of care. However, the authors point out that there are half a million maternal deaths, four million newborn deaths and six million child deaths each year.
Recommended reading
- Child survival 2: How many child deaths can we prevent this year?
- ( G. Jones; R.W. Steketee; R.E. Black; Z.A. Bhutta;S.S. Morris / The Lancet , 2003)
- Recommended reading
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Two thirds of child deaths in poor countries could be prevented using interventions that are readily available today, according to this article, the second in The Lancet child survival series.
The a...
- Interim report of task force 4 on child health and maternal health
- ( L. Freedman; M. Wirth; R. Waldman; M. Chowdhury; A. Rosenfied / Millennium Project , 2004)
- Important gains were made in the area of child survival during the second half of the twentieth century. However, in many parts of the world, mortality declines have slowed or stagnated; in others th...
Latest Additions
- Delivering the continuum of care for mothers, babies and children
- ( K.J. Kerber;J.E. De Graft-Johnson;Z.A. Bhutta / The Lancet , 2007)
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This article from The Lancet revisits the idea of a ‘continuum of care’ for mothers, children and newborns. The term, often used as a slogan, usually refers to continuity of individual ...
The role of community health workers in improving child health
- ( A. Haines;D. Sanders;U. Lehmann / The Lancet , 2007)
- This Lancet article assesses the role, impact and cost-effectiveness of community health workers (CHW) focusing on their potential for improving child survival rates. The paper looks at who community ...
