MDG 4 - Child Health East Asia and Pacific

Trends in U5 Mortality Rates

Situation - U5 Mortality ranges from 103 per 1000 live births in Togo to 5 in the Republic of Korea - Newborn Mortality invariably constitutes half of the U5 mortality in each country

Progress towards MDG4 Early Achievers: Mongolia, Timor-Leste, Malaysia On Track: Lao PDR, Indonesia, China, Vanuatu, Thailand Slow: Cambodia, Myanmar, PNG, Kiribati, Philippines, Tuvalu, Micronesia, Vietnam, DPRK, Solomon Islands, Palau, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cooks Island

Drivers of Disparities

Challenges Constraining Policies (not allowing delegation of functions at community health workers levels) Human resource, especially skilled birth attendants Missing Commodities/ available technologies not used Inadequate focus on demand side (addressing geographic, financial and cultural barriers) In-equities in coverage on the basis of residence, socio-economic status, ethnicity etc.

THANK YOU We are guilty of many errors and many faults But our worst crime is abandoning the children, Neglecting the fountain of life Many things we need, can wait But the child cannot Right now is the time, Its bones are being formed, His senses are being developed His blood is being made To him we can not answer, ”Tomorrow” His name is “Today” Gabriela Mistral, a Mexican poet