Report uncovers barriers to treat pneumonia, diarrhoea

A study has recommended that states be strengthened to adopt national guidelines that stipulate use of amoxicillin dispersible tablet to treat pneumonia and zinc low-osmolarity oral rehydration solution to treat pneumonia in children aged less than five.

The report of the study analysed the situation and policy of the knowledge and commitment of key national policy makers to the revised guidelines for managing two childhood killer diseases—pneumonia and diarrhoea.

The study found “absolute knowledge” of the guidelines and policy documents among key national policy makers. It also noted several commitments in various arms of government to the guidelines. But it also found serious challenges in implementing the guidelines.

Among its findings, the slow adoption of the guidelines by states implies states have not revised and updated their medicines list and may not be procuring amoxicillin DT or zinc ORS since they are not in their approved medicine list.

Both medications are among essential life-saving commodities recommended by the World Health Organisation. The dispersible tablets are easily given to children to chew, lick or take dissolved in breast milk. And zinc ORS helps relived the dehydration that comes with diarrhoea.

Without access to life-saving drugs, data in the National Demographic and Health Survey indicate up to 128 children, out of every 1,000 live births, die before their fifth birthday. Pneumonia accounts for 14 in every 100 of those deaths; diarrhoea accounts for 9 in every 100.

“We are convinced that by fully implementing the policies, about 196,420 children under five years who die annually from preventable childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea in Nigeria would be saved,” said Ijeoma Nwankwo, programme officer at the project Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria – Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health at Scale (PSN-PAS).

PSN-PAS convened a meeting of stakeholders in Abuja to validate the report into the knowledge and commitment of key national policy makers to the revised guidelines on management of childhood killer diseases.

“This report is a midline report which looks at where we are at the policy level in preventing and combating the childhood killer diseases…, following mainstreaming of amoxicillin-DT and zinc ORS as first-line treatment for pneumonia and diarrhoea,” said Nwankwo.

“We envisage that by end of 2019, every officer at both the national and state level will have a working knowledge of the revised guidelines, procure and distribute amoxicillin-DT and co-pack zinc lo-ORS among other essential primary health care commodities and encourage their prescription.”