As COVID-19 continues to affect countries throughout the world, straining health systems, economies and creating uncertainty and anxiety for all, child health is in danger of slipping under the radar.
In a recent report published by the UN, it is expected that child health services in developing countries are likely to be neglected as governments focus on COVID-19 treatment, while reduced household income caused by the ongoing pandemic will force families to reduce essential health and food expenditure. This is likely to push an estimated 42 – 66 million children worldwide into extreme poverty in 2020.
This is especially true in Cambodia where, despite there only being less than 150 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, the effects of the pandemic are being felt throughout the country as uncertainty continues to decimate Cambodia’s essential tourism and garment industries. With a third of the population (or 4.5 million people) living just above the poverty line, millions of children in Cambodia remain vulnerable to falling into poverty, impacting not only short-term health outcomes related to COVID-19 and other associated illness, but also dismantling long-term progress related to reducing child mortality and improving paediatric health throughout Cambodia.
AHC, like organisations around the world, is facing unprecedented challenges.
For us, the challenge is two-fold; we remain committed to providing essential paediatric services for Cambodia’s children, yet as a non-profit organization working closely with our donors and supporters, the global and local economic toll of the virus threatens our ability to protect and improve child health in Cambodia.
Learn how child health in Cambodia may be impacted, the financial outlook, and how AHC is adapting in our COVID-19 Response Brief and Factsheet.
Downloadable Media Resources:
AHC-Brief-on-Covid-19