What is health?
WHO definition of Health (1948) – Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
WHO Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1984) – Health is a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living.
Definition of children’s health
“The extent to which individual children or groups of children are able or enabled to:
- develop and realize their potential
- satisfy their needs
- develop the capacities that allow them to interact successfully with their biological, physical, and social environments”
(US National Academy of Sciences, 2004).
South African Under 5 mortality
MRC Burden of Disease Study – 2000
Reported cases of vaccine-preventable conditions
Malnutrition
| % under weight | % stunted | % wasted | |
| World | 30 | 37 | 11 |
| Developing countries | 31 | 39 | 11 |
| South Africa (all) | 9 | 23 | 3 |
| Urban South Africa | 7 | 16 | 2 |
| Rural South Africa | 11 | 27 | 3 |
Poverty
48% of South Africans live below R462/month (2007 Rands)
Failures 1994-2010
- Worsening infant and under-5 mortality as a result of HIV/AIDS
- Poor PMTCT rollout and coverage
- Failure to reduce malnutrition rates
- Lack of progress in improving neonatal health
- High teenage HIV sero-prevalence and pregnancy rates
- Sub-optimal access to adequate secondary and tertiary care services
- Patchy availability of laboratory services and drugs
Successes 1994-2010
- Free health care for children under 6 years of age, children with disabilities and pregnant women
- Increased availability of primary health care services
- Polio eradication, measles reduction
- PMTCT and roll-out of HAART
- Expanded access to child social security grants
- Provision of water, sanitation and electricity to more families
The health of children is everyone’s responsibility
Excerpt of report by Haroon Saloojee at the University of the Witwaterstrand, Johannesburg
