Every Child Everywhere
Dr Spandana Rayala writes:
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela
As global conversations about parenting and child empowerment gain momentum, we must ask ourselves: How can we better serve all children, especially those facing serious illness?
A remarkable achievement in the past two decades is the reduction of childhood mortality by more than half. However, the risk of dying for a child is 80 times more in the country with the highest mortality than one born in the country with the lowest mortality (UN IGME Report, 2023). Even more striking is the fact that more than 97% of the 21 million children requiring palliative care live in low and middle-income countries (Global Atlas of Palliative Care, 2020). The data demonstrates that where a child lives still largely determines how they might die.
These inequities extend beyond access to cutting-edge curative or experimental treatments. It translates to whether a child with a serious illness is going to needlessly suffer during their illness journey. While childhood cancer commands significant attention and resources – in the context of children’s palliative care, cancer represents approximately 6% of the need.
Those with severe genetic and newborn illness, infections, and organ failures among other serious conditions often lack access to basic comfort care. Several challenges lead to this situation such as training of healthcare professionals & awareness within a community, availability of special medicines including opioids, government commitment and guiding policies, paucity in research, funding and human resources, social & cultural barriers.
A troubling argument often surfaces during fundraising: “Why spend on someone who is going to die? Let’s invest in education, housing, or finding cures instead.”
This view misses a fundamental truth: If we as a community profess humanity as the highest standard won’t care for our most vulnerable children, who will? As Marian Edelman powerfully stated, “If we don’t stand up for children, then we don’t stand for much.“
Not all news is disheartening; a sense of hope continues to flourish. Through concerted efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO), global organizations such as International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC), International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN), several regional and local organizations, governments, and dedicated individuals, access to pediatric palliative care is expanding. The above two maps years apart represent a ‘greener’ trend, marking improved care availability each year.
The call to action is clear: Let’s continue to raise our standards, raise awareness, and raise the quality of life for every child, everywhere.
(Dr Spandana Rayala is a pediatric palliative specialist practicing at Bayt Abdullah Children’s Hospice, Kuwait. She is the Associate Director of Sunflower Children’s Network, Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration, working towards improving access to pediatric palliative care globally. She also volunteers as telemedicine specialist for Médecins Sans Frontières.)
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