Under-5 Abandonment and Mortality Rates Still High In Romania
Under-5 Abandonment and Mortality Rates Still High In The studies entitled “Situation of Child Abandonment in Romania” and “Socio-Medical Causes Of Mortality In Under-5 Children Dying At Home And Within the First 24 Hours Of Hospitalisation” were launched today at the headquarters of The UNICEF Office in Romania. The data presented in the studies show that in 2004 1.8% of the total newborns were abandoned in maternity hospitals immediately after birth. In 2003 the infant mortality rate was of 16.7‰, and in the first 6 months of 2004, it was of 18.4‰. UNICEF Romania supported the two studies, which, as Mr. Pierre Poupard, UNICEF Representative, declared „were necessary for the identification of the real dimensions of the abandonment and of infant and under-5 mortality in The two studies identify not only a state of fact, but also the causes that determined the appearance of this state. Most of these causes are common both for infant and under-5 mortality and for child abandonment. To combat these causes, The Ministry of Health develops programmes meant to reduce the risk of both under-5 abandon and mortality. Among these, there are actions such as: popularization of family planning for the decrease of unwanted pregnancies, the promotion of risk-free motherhood by care in the prenatal stage and at birth and by the care of the newborn in safe and hygienic conditions, the promotion of the health of the mother and of the child at community level, the development of a system of community medical assistants for vulnerable population categories and of community medical mediators within the Roma communities. ”The Ministry of Health deems extremely important maintaining the good health of the population, especially the good health of the vulnerable population categories. The purpose of all our actions is to monitor the health state of the population, and especially that of the disfavored categories, be them insured or not, to discover in due time the families in danger of abandoning their children and to take timely measures favoring the integration of children within their families,” declared Mr. Mircea Cinteza, Health Minister. „To us, such a study is a good working instrument that can help us promote appropriate policies for the protection of these children’s rights to have an identity and to live in an environment that will ensure them proper development and decent living conditions” mentioned Mr. Bogdan Panait, State Secretary, The National Authority for the Protection of Children’s Rights.. The recommendations put forth by the two studies to mend the current situation of under-5 mortality and abandonment aim, in the first place, at the enhancement of the institutional capacity and the improvement of the professional competence of the staff in hospitals and maternities, and to the education of the parents with respect to both health and child protection. The studies also recommend a deeper involvement of the local communities’ leaders in aspects regarding the community’s public health, as well as family planning and keeping the children within their family environment. For further information, please contact Mrs. Codruţa Hedeşiu, Communication Officer, UNICEF The study on the “Situation of Child Abandonment in Romania” was carried out by specialists from the Ministry of Health, The “Alfred Rusescu” Institute for Mother and Child Care (IOMC), the Ministry of Labor, Social Solidarity and Family – by the National Authority for the Protection of Children’s Rights, the International Foundation for Child and Family, “Community Supporting the Child” Association, the Center for Education and Professional Development “Step by Step” Association, and the “Youth” Association. The study was conducted over a period of three months in 2003 and 2004. The reference population was made up of children less than five years of age temporarily or definitely abandoned/left, and their mothers. Of the eight Romanian development areas (one of which is the area of Child abandonment in 2003 and 2004 was no different from that occurring 10, 20, or 30 years ago. The rate of child abandonment in maternity wards was 1.8% in 2003 and 2004, translated to an estimated number of 4,000 children, while in hospitals and pediatric wards, the child abandonment rate was 1.5% and 1.4% in 2003 and 2004, respectively, or 5,000 children per year at national level. The percentage of abandoned babies who are born underweight (34%) is four times higher than the norm for An alarm signal is triggered by the striking number of abandoned children who have no identity when discharged from hospital. According to data included in this study, the percentage of such children can reach 64% at discharge from maternity wards, 30% from pediatric hospitals, and 10% for children from in emergency placement centers. Officially, these children are “invisible”, which makes them vulnerable to dangers such as child trafficking. From this point of view, the report recommends the issue of strict regulations regarding the registration of children at birth, in accordance, in the first place, with the right of every child to identity. ” We support and we especially suggest the initiation of a program regarding the registration of every child’s birth, which would fulfill his right to have a name and a citizenship and the right to know and be looked after by his own parents” declared Pierre Poupard. The study on the “Socio-Medical Causes Of Mortality In Under-5 Children Dying At Home And Within the First 24 Hours Of Hospitalisation” was carried out by specialists of the Ministry of Health and of the “Alfred Rusescu” Institute for Mother and Child Care. The survey was carried out in a nationally representative probabilistic sample of 625 children. The reference population was represented by: children under 1 who died at home, children under 1 who died within the first 24 hours of hospitalisation and children aged 1-4 years who died at home in 2002. The collection of data was made in the period October 2003 – March 2004. According to the study, Infant mortality in As regards children aged 1-4 years, the mortality rate decreased every year, reaching 0.7‰ in 2003, yet home deaths still account for a worrisome share (40% in 2002). Among the causes of home deaths, accidents – considered to be avoidable deaths – accounted for 38.9% in 2002 and for 47% in 2003, according to the 2004 Newsletter of the Centre for Health Statistics and Medical Documentation of the Ministry of Health. The persisting large share of home deaths of children under 5 has been one of the major ideas justifying the initiation of this survey in 2002, as a token of the concerns for observance of the child’s rights to health and life, enshrined in the UN Constitution. The study reconfirmed the fact that the death of under-5 children is caused by an array of interrelated social and medical factors. Out of the factors having a negative impact we mention the mothers’ poor education, poverty, geographical marginalisation of communities and of families within communities, lack of access to basic medical care services, the doctors’ lack of specialised information, contradictory regulations in the health care system, the parents’ lack of information about the services available to them, poor parental skills, etc.
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