Emerging consensus in HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and access to essential medicines.
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BACKGROUND: In July, 2003, the Bellagio Study Group on Child Survival estimated that the lives of 6 million children could be saved each year if 23 proven interventions were universally available in the 42 countries responsible for 90% of child deaths in 2000. Here we assess the cost of delivering these interventions, and discuss whether the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for child survival falls within the financial capacities of donors and developing countries. METHODS: All child survival interventions shown to reduce mortality from the major causes of death in children younger than 5 years were incorporated into a delivery timetable comprised of 18 contacts between a child or mother and a health-care provider in the period from before birth until the child reaches 5 years. The running costs of delivering the interventions at universal coverage levels were calculated as the sum of unit costs for drugs and materials, delivery costs, and programme management and support costs, including supervision. We estimated the cost of providing interventions at coverage levels reported for 2000 and the additional costs of providing services at universal coverage levels. FINDINGS: USD 5.1 billion in new resources is needed annually to save 6 million child lives in the 42 countries responsible for 90% of child deaths in 2000. This cost represents 1.23 dollars per head in these countries, or an average cost per child life saved of 887 dollars. Sensitivity analyses for salary levels for community delivery agents, drug costs, and coverage rates for 2000 were used to develop uncertainty estimates around the USD 5.1 billion annual price tag that range from about 3.1 billion dollars to 8.0 billion dollars. INTERPRETATION: Achieving the MDG for child survival is affordable for donors and developing countries. Scaling up health delivery is the challenge, and, along with the lack of funds, will be the limiting factor in reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015.
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The proportion of child deaths that occurs in the neonatal period (38% in 2000) is increasing, and the Millennium Development Goal for child survival cannot be met without substantial reductions in neonatal mortality. Every year an estimated 4 million babies die in the first 4 weeks of life (the neonatal period). A similar number are stillborn, and 0.5 million mothers die from pregnancy-related causes. Three-quarters of neonatal deaths happen in the first week--the highest risk of death is on the first day of life. Almost all (99%) neonatal deaths arise in low-income and middle-income countries, yet most epidemiological and other research focuses on the 1% of deaths in rich countries. The highest numbers of neonatal deaths are in south-central Asian countries and the highest rates are generally in sub-Saharan Africa. The countries in these regions (with some exceptions) have made little progress in reducing such deaths in the past 10-15 years. Globally, the main direct causes of neonatal death are estimated to be preterm birth (28%), severe infections (26%), and asphyxia (23%). Neonatal tetanus accounts for a smaller proportion of deaths (7%), but is easily preventable. Low birthweight is an important indirect cause of death. Maternal complications in labour carry a high risk of neonatal death, and poverty is strongly associated with an increased risk. Preventing deaths in newborn babies has not been a focus of child survival or safe motherhood programmes. While we neglect these challenges, 450 newborn children die every hour, mainly from preventable causes, which is unconscionable in the 21st century.
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In this second article of the neonatal survival series, we identify 16 interventions with proven efficacy (implementation under ideal conditions) for neonatal survival and combine them into packages for scaling up in health systems, according to three service delivery modes (outreach, family-community, and facility-based clinical care). All the packages of care are cost effective compared with single interventions. Universal (99%) coverage of these interventions could avert an estimated 41-72% of neonatal deaths worldwide. At 90% coverage, intrapartum and postnatal packages have similar effects on neonatal mortality--two-fold to three-fold greater than that of antenatal care. However, running costs are two-fold higher for intrapartum than for postnatal care. A combination of universal--ie, for all settings--outreach and family-community care at 90% coverage averts 18-37% of neonatal deaths. Most of this benefit is derived from family-community care, and greater effect is seen in settings with very high neonatal mortality. Reductions in neonatal mortality that exceed 50% can be achieved with an integrated, high-coverage programme of universal outreach and family-community care, consisting of 12% and 26%, respectively, of total running costs, plus universal facility-based clinical services, which make up 62% of the total cost. Early success in averting neonatal deaths is possible in settings with high mortality and weak health systems through outreach and family-community care, including health education to improve home-care practices, to create demand for skilled care, and to improve care seeking. Simultaneous expansion of clinical care for babies and mothers is essential to achieve the reduction in neonatal deaths needed to meet the Millennium Development Goal for child survival.
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BACKGROUND: Timely reliable data on aid flows to maternal, newborn, and child health are essential for assessing the adequacy of current levels of funding, and to promote accountability among donors for attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for child and maternal health. We provide global estimates of official development assistance (ODA) to maternal, newborn, and child health in 2003 and 2004, drawing on data reported by high-income donor countries and aid agencies to the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation. METHODS: ODA was tracked on a project-by-project basis to 150 developing countries. We applied a standard definition of maternal, newborn, and child health across donors, and included not only funds specific to these areas, but also integrated health funds and disease-specific funds allocated on a proportional distribution basis, using appropriate factors. FINDINGS: Donor spending on activities related to maternal, newborn, and child health was estimated to be US1990 million dollars in 2004, representing just 2% of gross aid disbursements to developing countries. The 60 priority low-income countries that account for most child and newborn deaths received 1363 million dollars, or 3.1 dollars per child. Across recipient countries, there is a positive association between mortality and ODA per head, although at any given rate of mortality for children aged younger than 5 years or maternal mortality, there is significant variation in the amount of ODA per person received by developing countries. INTERPRETATION: The current level of ODA to maternal, newborn, and child health is inadequate to provide more than a small portion of the total resources needed to reach the MDGs for child and maternal health. If commitments are to be honoured, global aid flows will need to increase sharply during the next 5 years. The challenge will be to ensure a sufficient share of these new funds is channelled effectively towards the scaling up of key maternal, newborn, and child health interventions in high priority countries.