Vietnam successful in bringing improved health care to children: UNICEF

Vietnam has made remarkable achievements in caring for children, according to a recently released report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Dotor takes care of a newborn (Photo: Huu Chi)

In the final version, the UNICEF report on millennium development goals (MDGs) related to children highlights the experiences of countries around the world in realising MDGs, and important outcomes in bringing improved standards to children worldwide since 1990.

Globally, mortality rates of children under-five dropped by more than half – from 90 per 1,000 live births, to 43 per 1,000 live births – while underweight children and chronic malnutrition among children under-five decreased by 42% and 41%, respectively. Maternal mortality decreased by 45 percent, while some 2.6 billion people gained access to clean drinking water.

Vietnam made major strides in the same period. Since 2000, the mortality rate of children under-five in the country has been halved, from 39 per 1,000 live births to 20. The number of stunted children has been reduced by one third, from 36% to 25%, and the percentage of people with access to clean water has increased from 78% to 92%.

According to UNICEF, improved local health care, education and social protection systems can help more children grow and develop fully.

In its report, UNICEF also emphasised the need for global leaders to pay attention to disadvantaged children in building and adopting sustainable development goals (SDGs) and designing investment projects.

Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, Chief Representative of UNICEF in Vietnam said the country has reached a gender balance in primary education, and the gap in the number of stunted children in urban and rural areas also saw a remarkable drop.

MDGs provide an orientation for new development goals, helping to focus on children who have not benefited from MDGs, he stressed.

UNICEF will work closely with its Vietnamese partners to implement SDGs, especially in activities to bringing progress for children, he added.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)