10 Oct Pneumonia Careseeking Scorecard 2019
December 2019
What proportion of children with symptoms of pneumonia are taken to an appropriate health provider?
Just 55 % of children with suspected pneumonia are taken to a health facility in the 60 countries where 97% of child pneumonia deaths are occurring. In countries, such as Somalia, it is as low as 13%. Children living in poor, rural households are least likely to be taken for care.
Improved care seeking is critical to ensure sick children are taken to and seen by a health worker who can effectively diagnose and treat them – or refer them for special care. It is crucial for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal for child survival (SDG 3.2) and progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Careseeking for a child exhibiting the symptoms of pneumonia is now the official indicator for “child treatment” in the UHC Service Coverage Index developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank. This means that countries seeking to achieve UHC must ensure that more than 90% of children with pneumonia symptoms are taken to an appropriate health facility or provider.
Every Breath Counts is calling on all governments to set an official national target of 90% pneumonia careseeking by 2030
How well are countries performing on pneumonia careseeking?
This scorecard lists rates of pneumonia careseeking in each of the 60 countries where more than 1,000 children died from pneumonia in 2017. Together, these countries account for 97% of all child pneumonia deaths. The scorecard uses the latest UNICEF estimates of pneumonia careseeking together with the 2017 Global Burden of Disease estimates of national child pneumonia mortality.
The results are alarming – some key stats from the scorecard reveal that:
- 45% of children with pneumonia symptoms* are NOT taken to an appropriate healthcare provider. (*60 highest burden countries)
- No country has achieved the WHO/UNICEF target of 90% pneumonia care-seeking
- Children living in poor, rural households are least likely to be taken for care