Investment in children is the best for future

Rifat Zafreen :
‘No, no- I cannot spend such big chunk for Zhumur, try her some herbal first. What’s the use of investing so much for her since she is a girl child and will be married off!’ -This came out from Rohim Mia, a farmer in Char Fashon. But this strange sounding utterance if not very common, yet not that uncommon even in many casses, many be it prevails in another form. Still there is confusion over spending the best, putting the best investment for the children, especially confusion is there over the investment in child health care which is deadly needed for our better future.
Improved child health means improved productivity of adults, and improved productivity leads to development of an economy. Healthy children have better cognitive development which enhances their ability to learn and enhanced learning will add to human capital which is an important determinant of economic growth. Moreover, better child health can reduce healthcare burden on families and the state. Healthy and productive individuals can also contribute to governments earning from tax.
The worthiness of this investment is so very high if we take into account its positive “externality” since this very investment appears to be very promising considering all out comes.
Bangladesh has put high emphasis on child health as reflected in the government’s Plan and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) since the government could realize investment in child health is extremely important for a country aspiring for achieving rapid development.
Bangladesh has made substantial progress in improving the child health scenario, especially in neonatal health over time. The millennium Report: count down to 2015 placed Bangladesh among the only 16 countries in the world that are on track to achieve MDG 4 with regard to child mortality. Under five mortality has reduced from 116 in 1996-97 to 46 in 2014. Similarly, infant mortality rate has decreased by more than half in the same period (38 per 1000 live births in 2014). The proportion of one year old children immunized against measles has also increased by more than 80 percent compared to the status during 1990-1991.
In the country, the aggregate level of achievement in child health is satisfactory, although it is still lagging behind in terms of accomplishment at disaggregate level. Bangladesh can not develop at the desired pace, unless regional disparities can be reduced and a need based resource allocation is ensured.
The results of the MDG need assessment and costing study also showed that estimated per capita resource requirement was more than 2.5 times for child health (US$ 4.38) compared to that of the maternal health (CUS $ 1.72). The total per capita investment needed was US$ 19 to achieve the health related MDGs from 2009-15 (GoB 2009). The total health expenditure in the country was US $ 27 in 2012, including both private and public health care financing (MOH, FW 2015). This reflects the actual national picture of investment on our children’s healthy purpose.
In our country context, sometimes in case of Investment Case Analysis (ICA), based on Marginal Budgeting for Bottleneck (MBB) tool, the major bottlenecks appear to be inadequate provision of emergency supplies, Vacant Posts of Community Health Workers (CHWs), absenteeism of providers, high travel cost, insufficient transport facility, lack of trained medical persons, and lack of knowledge of the clients.
It is so extremely important to improve maternal and child health status in Bangladesh, both for attaining the targeted health status of the population as well as pacing up socio-economic development. Investment in child health is highly return generating. This has to be realized in all stages.
So investment for our children is highly needed in all cases, in all perspectives no matter from unit to national, even international level. It is such an important issue. Which needs a sheer equal attention, co-ordination and implementation plan from micro to macro level.
Our children are our best resources. In no way they deserve even a drop of negligence and no matter financial it is. Our media and local level influential people and opinion leaders can come forward to create and increase awareness among people to have a changed mind of investing the best for our children since with this, we will have a bright and potential nation. Through assuring security for having a healthy and better life our children will also secure our future. So in order to secure them and secure our future , the best investment for our children is thoroughly needed and it is a must for our existence sake.
(PID-Project Feature)