Inadequate medical treatment, children not being fully vaccinated, underfunded mental health services and the return of malnutrition are some of the impacts that severe budget cuts are having on children’s health and well-being, child health advocates warn.
More than 3,500 children have been killed in Israel and Gaza since 7 October, the vast majority in the bombardment of the Gaza Strip. In the face of this pedicide more than 500 children’s advocates in South Africa have issued a call for peace and respect for human rights amid the escalating con.
In some public hospitals, authorities abuse the law to cover up their incompetence, caring more about their image than about saving patients’ lives – and abusing their power to bully health workers into silence.
The Child Health Priorities Association released a statement today, addressed to the government, raising the alarm about the impact of austerity and budget cuts on the lives of South Africa’s poorest children.