19 Feb 2015

The Ministry of Health is aware of the burden of child morbidity and mortality throughout the country but not aware that over a third of the graves at the Broadhurst cemetery and more than 60 per cent of the graves at Glen Valley graveyard in Gaborone are for children.

Answering a question in Parliament on February 18, the Assistant Minister of Health, Dr Alfred Madigele said the major causes of mortality among the under five in Botswana were pneumonia (19.3 per cent), diarrheal diseases (18.2 per cent) and septicaemia (9.1 per cent).

He said malnutrition and HIV were also underlying causes of morbidity and mortality, adding that his ministry continued to develop and implement various child survival and development strategies.

Dr Madigele further said in 2009, for example, an Accelerated Child Survival and Development Strategy (ACSD) was developed to accelerate the implementation of evidence-based high impact interventions among children towards reducing infant and under five mortality.

He said the strategy encompassed an integrated quality care delivery of management of diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, malnutrition and complications of measles.

Dr Madigele noted that preventive interventions such as immunisations, Oral Rehydration Salt and Zinc Sulphate at onset of diarrhea to prevent dehydration, exclusive breast feeding and complimentary feeding for infants and young children, use of insecticide treated nets to prevent malaria, early health care seeking behaviour and hand washing were clearly entrenched in the strategy.

The Member of Parliament for Gaborone North Mr Haskins Nkaigwa had asked the minister if he was aware that over a third of the graves at the Broadhurst Cemetery and more than 60 per cent of the graves at Glen Valley graveyard in Gaborone were for children.

If he was aware, he wanted the minister to say what could be the cause of such a high rate of child mortality and what was government doing to address the situation. ENDS