More than 60,000 children die annually before their fifth birthday due to complications of premature birth, intra-partum complications, and infectious disease in the Philippines, according to the latest report by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).

The latest report pointed out the need for the country “to increase access to quality maternal and child health and nutrition services, achieve full vaccination of all children, and deliver on commitments for ensuring good health and nutrition through the first 1,000 days of life so that children will not only survive, but thrive.”

Over 25,000 babies are stillborn every year, it added.

“Every day, far too many parents are facing the trauma of losing their children, sometimes even before their first breath,” said Vidhya Ganesh, UNICEF Director of the Division of Data Analytics, Planning and Monitoring.

“Such widespread, preventable tragedy should never be accepted as inevitable. Progress is possible with stronger political will and targeted investment in equitable access to primary health care for every woman and child," she added.

Globally, an estimated five million children reportedly died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million children and youth aged between 5–24 years lost their lives in 2021.

In a separate report, the group also found that 1.9 million babies were stillborn during the same period.

“Tragically, many of these deaths could have been prevented with equitable access and high-quality maternal, newborn, adolescent, and child health care,” it said.

According to the UN report, there were also some positive outcomes with a lower risk of death across all ages all over the world since 2000 which can be attributed to more investments in strengthening primary health systems to benefit women, children and young people.

“However, gains have reduced significantly since 2010, and 54 countries will fall short of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals target for under-five mortality,” it said.

“If swift action is not taken to improve health services, warn the agencies, almost 59 million children and youth will die before 2030, and nearly 16 million babies will be lost to stillbirth,” the report added.

Access to and availability of quality health care continues to be a matter of life or death for children globally, it noted.

Meanwhile, the report also said that although the Covid-19 pandemic has not directly increased childhood mortality, it still may have increased future risks to their survival.

“In particular, the reports highlight concerns around disruptions to vaccination campaigns, nutrition services, and access to primary health care, which could jeopardize their health and well-being for many years to come,” it emphasized.

“In addition, the pandemic has fueled the largest continued backslide in vaccinations in three decades, putting the most vulnerable newborns and children at greater risk of dying from preventable diseases."