Abidjan- Cote d’Ivoire’s Planning and Development Minister, Mr Abert Toikeusse has described as worrisome, the number of children that die from preventable diseases in the country.
Toikeusse said this on Tuesday in Abidjan that most of the children had no access to public medical facility because their births were not registered.
The minister said it was worrisome that about 2.8 million children in the country had no birth certificates which should grant them access to public healthcare services.
“One out of every nine children die before the age of five in Cote d’Ivoire, these deaths are mostly from diseases that can be prevented or cured.
“They include diseases such as malaria, respiratory infections and diarrhea,’’ he said.
He called on major international health support organisations to assist government’s efforts towards providing accessible healthcare delivery system for children.
Toikeusse further said that most of the children were subjected to forced labour and other forms, saying “ we need to work collectively to eliminate harmful socio-cultural practices against children.’’
“The promotion of children’s rights should be a concern to everybody, government’s efforts to ensure greater protection of children needs to be supported,’’he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that a recent UNICEF report published that 30 per cent of Ivorian children suffer from chronic malnutrition and stunted growth.(NAN)