World Health Organization
Availability of Pediatric Health Services
Pediatric Health Services are extremely limited in some countries. Many countries do not have the resources available to establish pediatric services and administer care. Especially in an economic downturn, many countries are suffering and do not have the money or the doctors to increase medical supplies and services. In Africa, increased HIV infection has also put a strain on existing pediatric services. Doctors administering treatment cannot keep up with the growing numbers of people in need of treatment. Even health care professionals are being affected by the spread of AIDS. In Botswana, 17% of its health care force was lost to AIDS and HIV. Though many countries have private doctors, public services are limited. Therefore, the limited number of public health services are over-crowded and over-worked. Because of a lack of resources, 6 million children die each before their 5th birthday. Many of these children were born in low-resource countries without adequate care. Yet with many of them, their death could have been prevented with correct medical care.
The pediatric health services are also overcrowded due to many unplanned pregnancies. This causes an increasing population of infants. Hospitals, especially ones located in low-resource countries, cannot keep up with the increasing population of children. Many mothers with contagious diseases can pass their disease to their children. Especially in Africa, infant mortality is rising due to the passing of AIDS from mother to child. 430,000 children in 2008 had AIDS passed on from their mother, and 90% of those took place in Africa. The limited medical resources cannot accommodate and treat so many people. This leads to overcrowding in pediatric facilities and inadequate care by the doctors.