State of the worlds mothers 2008: closing the survival gap for children under five

Worldwide, more than 200 million children aged under five do not get the basic health care they need. This contributes to highly preventable or treatable ailments such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. This ninth annual State of the World’s Mothers report by Save the Children shows countries progress in terms of reaching children with basic health measures. It also looks at the survival gaps between the poorest and best-off children in developing countries, and shows how millions of lives can be saved if children, especially the poorest, receive essential, low-cost health care. The report outlines an index which compares the well-being of mothers and children in 146 countries. 

Sweden, Norway and Iceland have the best rankings and Niger the worst. Conditions for mothers and their children in the bottom countries are particularly bad. On average, one in twenty-one mothers will die from pregnancy-related causes. More than one in six children die before their fifth birthday, and roughly one in three children suffer from malnutrition. The report finds that ana significant number of countries are failing to provide the most basic health care that would save children’s lives. In the 55 developing countries which together account for 83 percent of child deaths, more than 30 percent of children do not get basic health care when they need it. The report shows large inequities in health care provided to the poorest compared to the best-off children in almost every country. This is true for both highest and lowest ranked countries. The authors argue that the funding for child survival does not match the need. Worldwide spending on health care disproportionately benefits people living in high-income countries with expensive problems to treat, while most diseases and almost all preventable child deaths occur in developing countries. The report recommends that governments design health care programs to better target the poorest and most marginalised mothers and children and invest in community health workers. In addition governments must deliver a basic package of maternal, newborn and child health care that takes into account the realities for poor people in developing countries.